Silver Linings
by Orchard94
Summary: Before the attack on New York Terri was just a waitress. After that days events Terri attracts some unwanted attention which will change her forever. Will she be able to cope with the changes to come? Can she escape the clutches of those who wish to use her as a toy? Most of all will she be able to resist falling in love with her savior? OCxSteve. M for later possible chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue **

It's hard to believe that after everything that happened today, through all the destruction and chaos, that this many news vans were functional for "first on the scene" interviews. I walked further into the debris, slightly dazed, trying to understand the logic behind religions and think of a higher purpose or silver lining which could be attributed to today's events.

I couldn't.

All I did was hope that that guy received some much needed help. Surely he can't be in his right mind to cause so much mayhem. Call me naive but I believe that there is good in all of us, some people just need extra help discovering it. I overheard a group of people saying a strange name, 'Loki' I think, as being the cause. Maybe it was my sheer terror and stinted brain functioning I was feeling because of it but during the calmer moments, when I wasn't thinking of my family, all I could think was how could someone with such a lovely name be so evil. Then it hits me.

God of Mischief. Figures.

A reporter came up to me and asked me my opinion on the Avengers and who's to blame. I was momentarily shocked that these were the questions that were being asked.

"What? That this is somehow their fault? Captain America saved my life. Wherever he is…or wherever any of them are, I would just….I would want to say thank you…" I finally replied. A small hope in my mind that they may see this and know they are appreciated. Especially the Captain. I didn't get to see him properly but I had no doubts as to whose suit he was wearing. Propaganda during the Second World War was something I was very interested in during secondary school, only Captain America was not really in depth. But I knew it was him sitting there. I could feel it.

Thinking back to how brave he was defending us against those…those things, brings a small smile to my face, that someone could be so self-sacrificing and courageous. People need someone like that to look up to; I'm glad that the next generations will have someone to idolise like him. Perhaps that's the silver lining? Hmm…maybe.

I retake in my surroundings and see the emergency services helping in the more populated areas were people have been evacuated. Seeing all those injured people and those mourning for others that hadn't made it and I realised just how blessed I was. My family are back in England, probably worried sick. I'm relatively unharmed, apart from a few aches and scrapes and am fully functional. Yet I'm standing here wasting space. I decided then to walk into the city and see if anyone needed help.

I walk at a leisurely pace to ensure I don't miss anything, stealthily avoiding any authorities that would try and force me into a 'safer location'. My eyes dart around the crumbling architecture around me and I try and am listening for any cries for help. After about 2 hours of walking I wind up outside a small, battered café and notice that my hands are shaking quite viciously. I put it to the shock settling and decide to see if the is anything inside to get my sugar up, last thing I need is to collapse. I can't make out the name of the café as the sign is ruined beyond repair but I step through the door less doorframe anyway and make for the kitchen. I reach the counters and happily realise I won't need to hunt around as some of the pre-wrapped food was still fine, slightly squished, but edible all the same. I grab a baguette and water and place some money next to the broken till. I brush the glass off a nearby chair and settle into my cheese salad baguette. I'm sure nothing….ever…..in this world has tasted so good. I mean seriously, it was like an orgasm in a roll. As I finish of the sandwich I felt much calmer and able to carry on when I heard a whimper.

My head whipped up as I headed towards the sound outside the café, water bottle clutched in hand. I hear it again on my left and turn to scan the area, slowly moving forward. I reach a small passage between two buildings which seemed filled with rubble and I heard the cry again, my heart clenched when I realised that it was undoubtedly a child.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" I called. The relpy was instant.

"YES! YES! PLEASE HELP US! MY BROTHER ISNT WAKING UP!" I heard a young girl practically screamed with relief of being found.

One word echoed through my mind….Shit.

"Ok sweetheart I'm gonna start moving the rocks to get to you ok?" I call as loudly and gently as possible. I can hear her beginning to panic, her breathing become laboured and rapid.

"Hunny I need you to stay calm for me ok? Can you tell me how far you and your brother are in?" I say, hearing my voice echo slightly through the stacked, narrow passage.

"Not to f-far. I-I-I wanted us t-to be able to r-run out if we needed t-to. B-but the rocks….t-they just fell s-so f-ast.." She replied through sobs. My heart ached for her. I knew in order for us to get through this I needed to not be distracted by her heart wrenching cries and she needed to even her breathing under those rocks. Who knows how much dust they've already inhaled?

"Ok! That's good news. That means I'll be with you all the faster ey?" I tell her, adding a cheerier note to my tone in an attempt to calm to scared child as I begin to throw the heavy stones to my right.

"So, what are your names then? Do you live around here?" I ask to keep her talking and awake, still moving the coarse rubble.

"My name is Angelina and my little brother is Joesph…" she replied in a small voice. "We do live here, yes. My mama and papa own a small café nearby that we live above. Papa said it was gonna become world famous cause his sandwiches were so good." She said, voice clearly calmer. So this was the offspring of the orgasmic sandwich maker huh? I smile inwardly at her lighter tone. She was openly proud of the little café.

"Oh you do huh? What makes them so special?" I ask in attempt to keep her on a topic which clearly makes her happy.

After a few prompts I can hardly get a word in through her chatter. Only laughing and 'hmm'ing when necessary, which is a good thing I guess as the muscles in my arms are starting to throb and ache and my palms were bleeding quite heavily now from all the gashes the sharper rocks were leaving. Occasionally I would hiss in pain and Angelina would ask if I was ok to which I would laugh and comfort her, telling her to tell me how her brother is doing and then to carry on with her story.

I gritted my teeth through the pain as I heard her voice get louder and saw both children under a few really big pieces of rock.

"You lied" Angelina accused.

I looked over to the beautiful little girl, no older than 12. Her hazel hair was dishevelled and her face covered in dust and a small amount of dried blood radiating from a tiny cut on her forehead. I looked into her large brown, watery eyes with a confused look on my face.

"You said you were fine. Your covered in blood and bruises." She said. Staring at my body as tears slipped down her cheeks. I looked down at myself and held back a wince. She was right, I looked a mess, like I has a very filthy madman butcher or something.

"Only a little bit darling…" I began. "No. That…" she said gesturing to me with her one free arm. " is not a little bit. You're probably in a worse condition than both of us…"

I smirk at the caring little girl. "Well how about when I take you back, I get looked at too and we see yeah?"

"Deal" she said, smiling through her tears and stroking her brothers head.

I looked around me then back to them. They wouldn't be able to walk, I may not have known their injuries but I knew not to let them stand after that much rock had been on them. "Ok, so here's what we're going do. I'm gonna move these rocks of you first and then you'll stay here why I find something to take you and your brother to safety in" I state, leaving no room for argument.

Angelina nodded still looking at her baby brother Joseph who looked around 7, the poor thing. "you need to brace yourself now Angel. I'm gonna move the slabs but it is going to hurt. I'm so sorry about this…."I say looking into her eyes. She simply smiles at the nickname and nods as her permission to proceed and I waste no time doing so.

I start with the big stones on their legs before moving onto the three big slabs of concrete lying on top of them. I try to lift one directly off Joseph but it is far too heavy for me to do alone. All I can do is lift them partially and slide them away. Luckily Joesph is still unconscious so he shouldn't feel the pain. The technique worked and I soon freed him of the slabs and went to free Angelina.

"You ready?" I say. She nodded biting her lip. I lift the slab off her slowly, with it being the heaviest I have come across. I hear her scream out in pain and force myself to work faster. I can feel the pain of blood rushing to my brain with the strain of the weight, the sweat rolling down my forehead. My arms shaking as I finally shifted the slab off of Angelinas body.

Then in truly Terri fashion I drop the edge of the slab on my foot.

"OH YOU LITTLE BAST..." I stop myself from finishing the curse in front of the children and take a deep breath as I place my weight on my foot. A stabbing pain shoots up my leg and I flinch. Probably broke something but I have no time to pay attention to the pain. I carry on with my tasks, gritting my teeth. My entire body feels weak and I can feel my exhaustion begin to take hold. But I can't stop. Not until these kinds ore with the medics.

I lean in and kiss Josephs forehead and then kiss away Angelinas tears in an attempt to soothe her. "I'll be right back" I say to her, looking in her eyes. I can tell she notices my exhaustion but concern over her brother stops her from telling me to stop for a bit. I leave the alley and look for something just big enough to fit two children on, which would be easy to drag or push. The search takes longer than necessary with my exhaustion and foot injury limiting my speed but finally, about 15 minutes away from the kids, I found a what looked like a gardening center and decided to borrow flat gardening trolley. I look around a little longer and see that the center had camping gear. I picked up a few sleeping bags and opened them to create a soft padding against the wire of the trolley and also a blanket to cover them. Happy with what I retrieved I left some money on the counter and I began to head back to the children, stopping off at the café to grab some food that they will find comforting. By the time I reached the passage I could hear Joseph crying and Angelina trying to console him. I dragged the handle on the cart a bit faster to reach them and knelt to the ground to cup Josephs face. Silent tears fell down his face as he looked at me, pained, shocked and confused.

"Hey there soldier." I say with a smile "are you hurting?" Joseph nods, lower lip quivering, in answer and I nod back. I look at Angelina, giving her a look I hope portrayed that this applies to her also and then turned back to Jospeh. "We have got to get you to a doctor ok? So I'm gonna lift you now and go find you one. But it's going to hurt and I'm very sorry. Ready?" I say as I place my arms under his knees and back. "1….2…3" I warn as I lift him. His cries of agony bring tears to my eyes as I place him in the trolley and I continue to apologise for causing the pain. I stoke his face once he settles in the cart and notice the similarities between the children. Their parents must be beautiful people to create such adorable kids. I wonder what happened to them…. I shake my head from these darker thoughts and try to remain positive that their parents are ok.

"You were so, so brave little man" I whisper through a watery smile to Joseph. He smiles and blushes in return, making my own broaden. "I'm going to get your sister now then we'll head to the doctors ok?" I say gently and he gives me a small ok in return.

As I stand from my crouch I bite back my cry of pain. However it didn't go unnoticed by Joseph who reaches for my hand gently. I bend and kiss his cheek and try to push my pain to the back of my mind. I reach Angelina and we share a look, both concerned and apologetic as I reach around her. Both of us wincing as I did so. I hear Angelina bite back a cry as I lift her and I try to me as gentle as possible with her when I place her next to her brother. I was reaching for the blanket to cover them when I hear a small voice "What is your name?" Joseph asks, looking up at me with those gorgeous brown eyes I become so fond of.

I begin tugging the trolley back towards the safe zone before I reply.

"My name is Terri Cook sweetheart. Now why don't you tell me a little about yourself"….

_In the shadows Terri was being watched by two separate parties. All unaware of each other. The first group left without a word or sound whereas the other onlooker pulled out his cell phone to make a call._

"_I found the candidate" was all he said before ending the call and following Terri out of the shadows…._


	2. Chapter 2

**Some people may realise that I'm using the waitress from the Avengers as my character. She said that one line but I change her completely in this story and make her my own. The only similarities are in the interview lines, literally. Also there may be a few dark moments in this story and I will warn you when they are going to appear, just a pre-warning.**

**Planning isn't my strongest point and I tend to write things as they pop into my head so I apologise for spelling mistakes. I do try and check but somehow miss them sometimes.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Kaylee x**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Avengers, just my plots and characters.**

_He stayed as far back as possible, watching her pull the children through the rock and debris. He watched her every move, the way she stumbled through her exhaustion, but picked herself back up with determination. She spoke animatedly to the children, hiding the extent of her injuries fairly well for an amateur, presumably to put their minds at ease to laugh off her stumbles._

_He opened the file in his hands once more, looking at the similarities between the two women. She hid it well, but he knew who she was, the girl who stopped their last experiment and placed his colleague behind bars. A small smile played on his lips at the memory. The little brunette teen who knocked out his partner to get to her sister….what a fool. No love was lost between him and his ex-partner; he always had known him to be incompetent and allowing this woman to get the upper hand proved i. Not only did she escape with her brother and put him in prison for life, she somehow destroyed the facility and went dark. _

_Not anymore._

_All the previous experiments had failed. Most participants had to be destroyed. The man's boss discovered that after analysing Dr Erskine's notes further that character was key to the creation. The second he found this the man knew that Terri Cook was the one they would succeed with. First, they would need to break her into submission, make her rely on them before administering the serum. Then finally, they would have a soldier of their own to command. There was no more running for her, not this time, today…she would be theirs._

_He retrieved his phone once more to make a call. "It's her. Time to begin Phase Alpha . Go" he said. His eyes never leaving Terri's retreating figure._

We were about ten minutes out from the medics when I heard Angelina ask something. "Could you repeat that hunny?"

"I said why is your hair falling backwards?" she asked wearily. I stop and feel my head, she was right.

"Oh bollocks…" I say and I hear a giggle radiate from Joseph. "I just need to stop for aq second ok? We're nearly there." They both nod and watch me as I sit on the floor in front of the cart. Slowly, I begin to take the pins out of my hair to pull off the blonde wig and my long brown hair falls past my shoulders in a sweaty mess. I attempt to run my hands through my matted hair but it is futile. The only thing that would fix that mess is a shower. I look over to the children and see their shocked faces. I laugh quietly at their expression and decide there is no point keeping up half a charade. I reach for the water both I had from earlier from my apron pocket and used the water to rinse my hands before removing my blue contact lenses, showing them my brown eyes with a smile.

Angelina is the first to speak. "Why are you hiding your hair and eyes?" she asks quietly. She doesn't need to worry about me so I tell her the almost truth. "I just needed a change" I say, carefully getting to me feet, shooting pains radiating form my broken, and now extremely broken foot. I hold my breath for a few seconds to adjust to this pain before pulling the cart again.

We are silent for the rest of the journey; I smile as I see the hustle and bustle of the safe zone. We just reached the edge of the road before a man walked out of the shadows in front of my path. My hair stands up on the back of my neck.

Something is wrong.

I try to remain calm as I look at the man, keeping my face void of any and all emotion. "Excuse me but I need to get these children to the medics and your standing in the way, could you please move." I state, not really asking permission, more like demanding.

A face breaks into a charming, yet vicious smile and I can hear Joseph whimper. I turn to comfort him when I see two man have snuck up to both sides of the cart and are pointed guns at them. I look at Angelina who is hold onto Joseph protectively. I can nearly feel the hate radiate off her at the men threatening them. I smile softly at her expression, but then I notice the fear in her eyes and turn to the man once more. "Who the fuck are you and what do you want" I say, iciness dripping from my tone. His smile broadens as I stare him down. He could be quite an attractive man, wearing a nicely fitting black suit. His complexion was relatively pale, but not sickly. He had a set of straight white teeth framed with a set of thin lips. Nothing special to write him about but not bad, it was the coldness of his eyes which took anything attractive about his stature away and replaced it with revulsion.

"I think you know what we want Terri…" He says slowly. Chills run down my spine at the silkiness of his voice. I knew this day would come. That they would find me and get revenge. That's why I moved to New York away from my family, I'll take whatever they can give me. I will face death happily if it means my little sister and family remain safe.

"Kill me if you must, I don't care. Just let the children go." I say firmly. He simply laughs at me.

"We don't want to kill you Ms Cook….yet anyway." He smiles venomously. 'Excellent, I love torture'…I thought, the sarcastic edge even to my thoughts.

"Fine. I will come with you willingly, with no trouble, only if you allow me to get these two to the medics…" I negotiate. It's strange how calm I feel bargaining with my life. He lets out a small chuckle.

"Are you really trying to make a deal? Why do you think I would take it? Besides you could easily get away. These children are nothing. Their deaths would be quick…" he says before I stop him.

"You will agree. You said 'WE' don't wish to kill me yet. I'm guessing a boss? If you don't let me get these kids to the medics safely I will push you so close to the edge you will have to kill me. I will make your life hell the entire journey to where you're planning to take me. I'm sure boss man won't like it if you disrupted his plans by killing me early." I state.

He laughs a little louder this time. "I'll let you take them to the medic and I will not harm them as you do. Not because you terrible negation skills, but because I watched the effort you went through to save them." The man with the gun on Josephs side tugged the handle and came to my side. I was about to protest when the man said "Simon will go with you. To ensure you don't run. Besides with your injuries you can just walk without the added weight of the cart behind you."

I scowl and shove the man holding the cart away. His face remains passive but I can see he's angry from how his shoulders tensed. "I have managed so far. I will not have your men touch this cart or the kids. He may follow but I do not want or need his assistance." I say through gritted teeth. At that I begin to tug the cart the short distance towards the medics. Finally I reach them and explain what has happened to the children. Sit with Angelina and Joseph as wait for the medics to sort through ambulance to leave supplies before taking them to a hospital.

I sit between them as they cry on my chest. I stroke their hair and sing quietly to calm them when Angelina whispers "Come with us please…I don't want them to hurt you…" Joseph snuggle into me as she says this and I smile at them both softly, kissing each of them on their noses. "You know I can't do that. If I don't go now they'll just come later. I'll be fine, I promise." I squeeze them a bit tight and kiss them each goodbye as they get placed in the ambulance. "Look after each other" I say before the ambulance doors close and drives away. A medic then reaches me. "Ma'am, your badly injured, you need to let me look at you" I have to think quickly as I see 'Thug 1' reaching for his gun as he heads towards us. I pat the medics shoulder and say "Don't worry about me hunny. My boyfriends a doctor and he'll be here any second." I look towards my 'boyfriend' with a shocked expression. "Oh, he's here already…BABY! I'm here" I say with a fake smile plastered on my face. The medic turns to face the thug who lucky caught on and is smiling back. As he reaches us he kneels down and checks my face in his hands. "I'm so glad you're alright sweetheart" he says, kissing my cheek. I fight my cringe and turn to smile at the innocent medic. "I'm in perfectly capable hands hunny, go help someone who needs it. Like that elderly lady over there" I say pointing to an old woman who seemed to have trouble breathing. With one last look at us the medic nodded and left.

I go to rise and allow myself to lean onto Thug 1's arm for support. It was mainly to keep up pretences but it didn't hurt that it alleviated my pain slightly, even for a little while.

The second we were in the clear I released Thug 1 and limped forward on my own. The pain was beginning to get unbearable without the kids as a distraction but I wouldn't let them know that. As we reached the suited man again he grinned broadly, reminding me of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. A large black SUV pulled up near us, how typical.

"Please, get in Ms Cook" he said whilst getting in the front seat. "Sure thing Cheshire" I reply, smiling as his smile faltered at the nickname. I buckled myself in the car and waited for whatever was in store. Whatever it was wouldn't be good and I knew this. But it was worth if so long as the people I cared for were safe; including the two kids I met today. Since I knew I was in store so pain I decided I may as well get some sleep now. I laid my head back against the soft leather seats, let my guard down and allowed my eyes to close, everything black behind my eyelids, and drifted off the sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok so Terry won't be meeting the Captain yet. She needs to develop a bit first so bear with me. I think the next chapters will be darker…I won't be overly graphic, but you will know what is going on. **

**This chapter includes a past experience of Terri, which may help you see why they chose her as a candidate for her protective ways, in a way like Steve and bullies. Kinda. Maybe.**

**Thank you for the follows and favourites; it's a huge ego boost :)**

**Let me know what you're thinking.**

**Kaylee x**

I am woken by a harsh shake of my shoulder. The pain from my aching muscles and the shock from being awoke so abruptly cause me to cry out, looking around rapidly, soaking in the details of my surroundings. We were parked in front of an industrial looking building, slightly run down and shabby but you could see that it was still in use. The building was in the center of a huge concrete circle, surrounded by high wired fences, allowing no escape to the forest based behind them. The only visible exit was the gate I presumed we just entered through which was heavily guarded, I felt like I was on a military base of sort, crates and vehicles scattered easily around the pavement. I look towards my assailant and see it was Thug 2 standing in front of Cheshire.

I quite like that name, it sticks.

I turn to release my seatbelt to find it already undone before I feel myself being lifted into the air. I squeal in shock to see Thug 2 lifting me bridal style, walking towards the intimidating building before me. I struggle to get out of Thug 2's hold but he only grunts and grips me tighter, pinching at my already sore flesh.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing? Put me down!" I say, my voice croaking from sleep, not helping with the aggresive effect I was aiming for. He only gave me a gruff reply of "orders". I turn to scowl at Cheshire behind me and see that slimey grin plastered on his face. "Hey! Cheshire! Why the fuck am I not allowed to walk? It's not as if I can run anywhere?" I shout, one arm gesturing to my battered body and the secured scene around us.

Again, I feel a sense of pride when his expression falters at the nickname, except this time I keep my joy within and face blank, returning his gaze. His sneer returns, more spitefully this time. "You are injured Ms Cook. We need you to heal faster so we can begin our project and your training." He replied. All I could do was laugh.

"Training? You honestly think I will work for you! Are you fucking high! You may as well kill me and be done with it, cause like fuck will that ever happen!" I spit. He tilts his head to the side, looking at me with only a small smirk on his face this time, a far more brutal look than his toothy grin.

"And you think you'll have a choice." He whispers quietly. Thug 2 has stopped moving and Cheshire slowly walks up to me, griping my face tightly in his hand. "You will do as you're told. You will accept you training without struggle or trust me….You will want to die." He finishes, pinching my face tighter. I can already feel bruises beginning to form where his fingertips held my lower cheeks when he releases me.

I don't give a damn at what they think they can do to me. It'll be the day Hell freezes over before I am working for them.

I am silent as I am carried though the building. I see no need for words here. Words should be used to express your feelings and cares to others, here they will not care about my feelings and I know if I express every emotion I feel towards these people I will be in for a world of pain. So I choose to stay silent for now, instead opting for taking in all the motions of environment around me. I may die, well…no matter what I will die, but I refuse to not at least try and escape. So I absorb every little detail I can, such as certain security camera placements and guarded areas. I don't know if I will be entering these corridors again so I do my best to commit as much as possible to memory.

We walk past a room filled with people wearing long white lab coats. The walls and doors were made of thick glass, making everything they did inside the room visible. From all the high tech, clinical looking equipment I see, I am going to take a guess as say that these people were all of a scientific profession. The walls lead me to wonder if they chose to work here or if they were captive. They didn't look unhappy; in fact they looked very content with their working conditions. Maybe they just felt smarter in a lab that looked like it was straight out the X-Files…. I also noticed there was a distinct stereotype in that lab, all men, ages ranging from mid-30's to late 60's…

Sexist much…

We silently pass the room and head into an elevator. I sigh quietly at the added challenges to my escape and I see Thug 2 smile at me cruelly from the corner of my eye. I tried not to shiver at his expression and instead focused on all the bruises and cuts in my legs. My broken foot was considerably swollen, the other swollen also but more from the constant walking than an injury. I didn't actually realise my legs were in such a bad state, I thought it was mainly my arms and foot. I find myself actually glad that Cheshire said I would be able to heal before the tortures they can concoct will begin.

The elevator jumped slightly as it began to lower itself. I watched the numbers at the top of the elevator drop until we were 13 floors below the ground floor. These guys really weren't taking any chances with me, which I don't understand. When I destroyed their other base, it was an accident. I was trying to get my sister out of there as fast as possible and found a control panel. I quite literally flicked every switch and pressed every button in an attempt to create some sort of distraction to get us away. It must have overloaded the system as a few fires started, with the most vital one near the gas tank, which inevitably destroyed the building. It wasn't intentional, just a lucky occurrence in a desperate time.

We reached a large room with resembled a prison cell, small metal toilet in the corner next to a tiny sink and mirror. In the center of the room was a lumpy looking hospital gurney. _Well this doesn't look like a horror movie at all…_I thought sarcastically to myself. There were dried blood spatters and stains on the floor, so I knew I wasn't the first person to occupy this room. It was dimly lit but I could see that the walls were painted a deep, dark red which resembled the blood covering the floor. Thug 2 dumped me unceremoniously on the bed and strapped down my arms and uninjured leg.

"Well aren't you just Prince Charming…" I mutter. He simply raises an eyebrow at me in response. I return the gesture, face clearly saying 'am I wrong?' He lets out a dark chuckle and returns to stand Cheshire.

"We'll be back shortly with my boss Ms Cook…" I states before his face contorts into a demonic grin. His last words to me before he left the room was…

"Welcome to the Red Room…"

As I stared at the ceiling, restrained on the dirty gurney, my thoughts wandered to what led me here.

I was relieved when I discovered they didn't get the chance to do anything extreme to my sister Lily, a few slaps which scared her, but nothing damaging. I knew then that they would have seen me on camera before the explosion happened and that they'd want payback, my presence would just endanger my family further. On the plane ride home, whilst my sister lay in my arms crying as I stroked her auburn hair; I came up with a plan to keep them happy and safe. For years my parents talked about buying a boat, always hesitating. A big boat, listed under a different name, wouldn't be easy to trace, especially back to me. If I could convince them to sell the house and get a liveable boat they could also travel the world, not staying in a single place to long would only help. I kept Lily close to my side the entire journey home, sweeping over the area before even entering the house. I told my family everything that had happened. My mother cried fearfully and although overjoyed to have Lily back my father simply refused to believe any of it and refused to go along with my plan.

Then someone tried to break down the door.

I pushed my parents upstairs with force, telling them they needed to hide. My mother dragged Lily upstairs to hide whilst my father refused to leave.

"Get the fuck up those stairs and hide! I can protect my family" he whispered harshly as we ducked into the dining room.

"No Dad. Not dead you can't" I stated simply and calmly, although inside I heart was beating furiously. I took his hand and continued. "Dad, I love you more than anything, but they want me, I did the damage and they will kill you all if they find you. You can't protect me. But you can protect Lily…" I whisper, tears running down both our cheeks. I carried on…"She's only 14 Dad. She deserves her parents and a good life. Give her that. Hide and protect her. I refuse to die today. I will run on my own but you have to do as I said earlier. Get the boat. Run. Keep them safe." I finish as I opened the heavy oak do of the large cabinet we were hiding near, gesturing him to get in. It seems they became tired of trying to break down the door and began to shoot at the locks.

My father and I shared a look as I pushed him in. "I'll be fine daddy. I love you." I smile as I shut the door on his tear stained face.

They burst into my home, a place I once considered my safe haven. I held in a yelp at the noise and I hunted for my bee-bee gun. I doubted it would do much damage but I needed something. I always kept it loaded with the plastic pellets so when my guy friends and I hung out, we could line up our coke cans and bottles to practice on. I found the plastic gun and I also picked up the two cheese knifes on the table.

I heard their steps getting closer as I ran behind the table. I listened carefully. It sounded like there was four of them. I stood from my hiding place. I refused to die cowering at these disgusting creatures; they would not get the satisfaction of me showing them fear.

One entered the dining room and saw me. A cruel smile spread on his face as he whispered "hey there girly…" he leered at my body and the looks made my skin crawl. He began to stalk towards me slowly and I froze. "Shall we have some fun little lady?" he asked quietly, that revolting edge still in his smoky voice, looking at my mouth and chest. It was then I realised just what he was planning to do. He was about an arms width away when I instinctively lifted my arm with the bee-bee gun in warning. He looked shocked for a second before chuckling quietly. "That little toy won't hurt me sweetheart. Trust me, you'll enj…" I pulled the trigger, aiming for his eye, and he crumbled to the floor, never getting to finish his sentence.

All emotion in me shut down as I watched the blood seeping through his eye onto the laminate floor, creating a dark crimson puddle at my feet, staining my white converse. I wiped my face of the blood with spattered on my face and was thankful the toy gun was relatively quiet. Who knew a bee-bee gun was capable of that? I didn't want to take the chance that his death by that gun was a one-time thing, so I crouched to the floor and pried his weapon out of his warm fingers.

I tiptoed around the man's body and looked at the gun. It had a tube screwed onto the end of it, which looked like a silencer out of the movies, another stroke of luck for me. I peeked my head out of the dining room just as one man went to sit in the vehicle they arrived in. The second man headed upstairs as the other turned his back to me and headed in the living room. I silently followed the third man. He still hadn't seen me. He holstered his weapon as I aimed mine at the back of his head. I coughed gently and he span around. His eyes widened in panic when he saw me and reached for his gun. I didn't give him the chance to retrieve it though. I pulled the trigger on my assailants weapon and shot the man stood before me in the center of his forehead. I watched emotionlessly as he fell to the floor, waiting for the light leave his eyes. I turned on my heel to find the other invader of my home. I crept up the stairs, avoiding all the places on the steps I had learned creaked throughout my childhood. I heard my sister whimper and fury filled my body. Fire raged inside my veins at the thought of this intruder harming my loved ones. I turned the corner, looking into my parents' bedroom and saw my sister tied to the bedpost of the floor with a gag in her mouth. I watched as my mother cried silently, pressed against the wall near the window as the man pressed his body against hers. The heat inside my body increased; I felt I was on the brink of bursting as I saw him lick his lips.

What the fuck was wrong with these men?!

I saw him stoke the side of my mother's breast and she cringed away from him before he placed his hands against the walls, effectively trapping her again. The fact my beautiful, brave and confident mother felt the need to make herself so small against the touch of his hand made me reach for the cheese knives. My sister was the only one that had noticed me but remained silent. I stalked over to him and plunged each knife through the back of his hands with so much force they stuck in the plastered walls. He screamed out in agony as he looked at his heavily bleeding hands. I had no pity for the man who tried to force himself on my mother.

"Mum, release Lily please and don't go downstairs yet." I say, my tone robotic. I didn't want to scare Lily more with the other bodies I left behind. I pulled my knives out of the creeps' hands and he brought them close to his chest. I crossed to the opposite side of the bed near my sister and mother. I kept my gun aimed at his face. He looks up at me, revenge and fury being the only emotion held within his eyes. I watched him critically. I saw he was getting ready to attack me, thinking I wouldn't have the guts to use the weapon.

"Shall we get your friend in the car to join us?" I asked coldly before pulling the trigger. The man fell backwards, shattering the glass as he fell through the window. I heard my mother scream and sister begin to cry, but I didn't have the time to focus on them. What I guessed was the leader of this little group just received a message that he was needed in this house. I didn't want to kill again, but if necessary I would. I just feel the authorities may need someone to question about everything that has happened.

I walked past my shaking family and headed for the top of the stairs to wait. Soon car guy reached the bottom of the stairs. I saw his gun was already in his hand and as our eyes locked, he was the first to release a shot. I moved into my bedroom door to my left but the bullet still managed to pierce my upper thigh. Tears sprung to my eyes and I gritted my teeth through the pain. I couldn't allow him to reach my family, after seeing his colleague's dead I had no doubt he'd kill them too. After a pause, I heard him climb the stairs faster and I jumped up into action. I limped back to the top step and quickly raised my gun; he was shocked to see me recover so quickly so I took the advantage of his pause. I shoot the hand that held his weapon with surprising accuracy and he dropped it with a cry. I then shot four more bullets, only three hitting him, two in his left thigh and one in his right knee cap. He fell backwards down the stairs, lying still at the bottom. I couldn't bring myself to care if he had died or not as I crumpled to the ground.

I began to shake violently and felt the tears fall down my cheeks. I looked at the blood on my hands and clothes and I wanted to vomit. I threw the gun to the side, wanting the offending object far away from me I began to sob uncontrollably at what I had done.

I just killed 4 men. Four hearts stopped beating at my hand.

I felt slim arms wrap around my waist, I heard Lily's voice try and console me through her own tears, telling me how brave I was and how I'd saved them again. I cried harder as I leant into my younger sisters embrace, my throat becoming sore from my screams. I saw my mum head down the stairs slowly.

"I-It's s-safe" I choke. She looks back at me and nods, heading faster down the stairs calling out to my father. My sister turns my body around and looks into my eyes with a fire that make my sobs falter.

"You listen to me Terri Alexia Cook. None of this was your fault. You saved me. You saved all of us. You are a good person and a wonderful sister. I don't know what I would do without you…" she says quietly, her gaze never leaving mine. I look into the green eyes of my beautiful baby sister and see nothing but sincerity and love. My lower lip trembles and I nod, silent tears leaving both our eyes as we gaze at each other. After a few seconds he pulls me back into a tight embrace as my parents come up the stairs, both saying similar things to Lily. Their words could never take away the fact I killed four men in cold blood, regardless of who they were. I sat there for a while with my family embracing me, trying to absorb all the love and affection they gave.

"Daddy, you need to call the police" I croak. He looks at me and then silently leaves to make the call. Lily lets go of me to look at the bullet wound on my thigh and my mother took her place, stroking my hair and face gently, kissing the tears away on my cheeks. My father returned and took a seat beside me, stoking soothing circles on my back. I close my eyes and we just sit there together in silence until we hear the police pull up outside.

I heard the gasp of the officers as they entered the house and called in what they had seen. My parents went down to talk to them but soon the police officers were called away and replaced by men in suits. I heard my parents tell the same stories many times as I stared down the staircase, Lily still latched onto my side.

Then I saw the man move. The last man I shot was alive!

"DAD! DAD! THAT GUY IS ALIVE! LOOK LOOK!" I shout, only 3 men, not much better but slightly. The men in suits immediately handcuff him and place him in an ambulance and I cry in relief that I killed one less man. The bodies were cleared so Lily was allowed back downstairs. I was told to remain upstairs for questioning. A medic attended to my leg, saying I was lucky it was a 'through and through' that missed any major arteries. The lady was pleasant and agreed when I asked her to stitch me right there. I cringed and whimpered through the pain, trying to keep as quiet as possible, wanting it out the way. Once she was done she bandaged my leg, telling me to change it often and kept the stitches clean. I close my eyes and said thank you gratefully as I heard her leave.

I let out a deep breath and opened my eyes, jumping at the man in front on me, standing on a lower step. He was bald; dark skinned and had an eye patch covering his left eye. He was dressed entirely in black with a long leather trench coat. Overall a very intimidating man.

I met his gaze and watched him move to sit beside me. His aura literally seeped authority so I presumed he was someone important. He asked me typical questions about the day's events and I answered them honestly, seemingly satisfied with what he learnt he rose of the top step of the staircase and began to leave. Two steps down he paused and turned to me.

"Do what you need to do Terri. Just be careful, people will always be watching." He said staring me directly in the eyes. I nodded in return, understanding that whoever these men worked for wouldn't stop looking for me easily.

As the suited men began to leave the house I hobbled to my bedroom. My family would be staying in a secured hotel tonight but I would be leaving for good.

"Lily! Could you help me pack please?!" I called.

"Pack? You only need an overnight bag" She said quietly.

"No Lily." I smiled. "I'm leaving for a while…" I said as she walked into my arms, tears running down her face once more. My poor sister has cried more in one night than she should have her entire life.

"Why?" she whispered into my chest. "To keep you all safe." Was all I could reply. We silently packed, filling a single suitcase as my parents walked in, ready to leave for their hotel.

I shared a look with my father and he retrieved a large envelop full of money. _He's giving me the emergency mattress savings_ I thought with a smile. "You'll need this…" he says to me with shining eyes. I guess my mother caught on as she came and hugged me hard, as if she wanted to melt me into her own body. I chuckled and returned her hug with equal vigour.

We all got into a cab, them refusing to let me go to the airport without them. I hugged each member of my family and told them to do what I said and get a nice boat with the money from selling the house. They agreed as I said goodbye one last time. Lily was the last person to get in the cab.

"You'll come back right? Well find each other again?" she asked through a quiet sob. I hugged her tightly and then slipped my charm bracelet I was wearing onto her wrist. "You will always have me with you, just like you'll always be in my thoughts. As soon as I know they are no longer after me I will come find you, ok? This isn't the last time we'll see eachother." I say as she reaches to hug me around my neck. I kiss her cheek and push her into the cab gently.

"I love you" we all said in sync before the cab drove them away. I smile and touched my heart, feeling something foreign there. I look down and see the necklace I bought her for her birthday; she must have placed it there when she hugged me. It was a simple silver chain with a small teardrop diamond charm. I kissed it with a smile, knowing all this was worth it for them, and turn to limp towards the airport, ready to buy a ticket for whichever plane was next to leave.

A drop of water falls onto my shoulder, knocking me out of my bittersweet reverie.

I was a murderer at 17.

I look down and see the chain of my sisters' necklace and know everything that happened and was about to happen is for her. A new sense of courage entering my system. Lily would always be worth it. Always.

My eyes shoot towards the door as an unknown figure walks through the door, closing it behind him. I squint my eyes in attempt to see him better but it's not until he reaches the gurney I can see him clearly. His stare locked with mine. Shivers ran down my spine but I refused to be the one to break the contact. He gave me an amused look.

Why is it I entertain everyone here?

"Well Terri. Welcome to my establishment. I'm here to give you the details of the process. Are you quite comfortable?" He says, pulling out a stool I hadn't seen before hidden beneath the gurney.

_Here we go…_


	4. Chapter 4

He remained quiet, flicking through the file he had in his hands nonchalantly. I took the opportunity to examine the man's features. He looked to be in his 60's, fit for his age, relatively handsome. His shoulders were broad, covered in an expensive looking, crisp, pinstriped white shirt which matched his dark grey trousers. Top few buttons remained loose showing a slither of sun-kissed skin. Outside didn't seem too sunny…maybe he's a sunbed type of guy. His hair was thick and coarse, looking slightly softer than straw, remnants of the dark brown coloured hair of his youth still scattered around his head. Many frown lines were prominent on his forehead and between his eyebrows, highlighting the fact this was not an overly happy man. Wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth were the main give away for his age though. He wasn't 'BAM' in your face handsome, but I have seen worse. I was still studying his features when he looked up at me. Ruthless eyes trained on my face, he seemed to be sizing me up just as I was him.

"So…Terri. Do you know why you are here?" he asks, closing the file on his crossed legs. I didn't say a word. I was sure this was some revenge mission but if there was an ulterior motive I would like to know. I met his eyes resolutely, standing my ground silently, refusing to turn away from his critical stare. He breaks eye contact first, looking down and breathing out a humourless chuckle.

"All you will do in the long run is make this visit considerably hard on yourself and equally traumatic Ms Cook. It would be wise to co-operate." He states lowly, returning my gaze once more. "Why would I answer something only you know? So please, why don't you tell me?" I retort curtly. The menacing grin I have seen far too much today finds its way upon his lips. "I just wanted to know your opinion." He replied in and entertained tone.

"I thought you were in here to tell me what is happening, not the other way round. I'm the visitor didn't you know, I'm not here to do your job…" I clip sarcastically with my eyes closed. He lets of a loud laugh at my reply, causing me to open my eyes and look towards him. I nearly flinch at the heinous expression in his eyes, definitely not matching the full bellied chuckle he just emitted.

"You will be a fun one to crack won't you?" he asks through chuckles. "But fair enough. I will tell you an outline of what will happen. I may allow a few questions to be asked at the end." I nod at his answer, wondering why they were making this sound so complicated. I don't need a damn schedule to be tortured and killed. I just lay here; take the pain and die, not much to think about really.

"Ok. You my dear, have taken the place of your sister here in the Red Room. Once you have healed you will be trained to seduce, kill and take pain to lengths you never knew they could reach until you can take it like you took that bullet 7 years ago. We wanted, Lily was it?" My fists clench at the sound of her name leaving his lips. I fight any further reaction by forcing my aching body to go rigid. As my muscles tense, pains shoot throughout my whole body and I nearly cry out, but the pain was necessary. They could not know my reactions to anything; they would just use it against me later. He looks me over before continuing "…Not that it matters now. Anyway we wanted her because she was pretty and young, far easier to shape and control. Then you broke into my secured building, blew it up and killed my men. Terri, the way you rid your house of my men, so swiftly, was beautiful." I jaw went slack at that. Was he congratulating me on murdering his men? "It truly showed your potential. You see here, we train people. Make them better. Make them the perfect assassins. No violent past or training and you managed to take out four, well nearly four, of my best men, at 17 years old. An innate talent, if you ask me." He paused, as if contemplating a fond memory before he continued.

"You will be taught how to seduce, you are a beautiful lady so it shouldn't be too difficult. How to weed yourself into a figures life, mainly through sexual actions, for both men and women. You will be taught to fight with speed and precision and how your kill a target swiftly and cleanly. Now, if you refuse to do as your told, if you struggle or try to escape, I will make sure you are beaten profusely and raped brutally, maybe even personally deliver the punishments myself, until you are obedient. Do I make myself clear?" I give him nothing in return. I just keep staring into his cold eyes. "You will also be part and an experiment I have been working on, but more about that nearer the time." He says as he places the stool back beneath the gurney. He gestures someone in with his hand and two men in lab coats enter with a few drips. I choose now to speak.

"So let me get this straight. You kidnapped me because you enjoyed the way I destroyed your facility, which wasn't even intentional. Killed your henchmen, but only because they presented a threat to my family so it was on instinct. You want me to become a bisexual spy killer that is loyal to you because you kept me captive, beat and raped me" I state blandly and the men in lab coats stuck needles for the drips into me.

"Precisely Terri. Your 'instincts' showed great potential. I think you could be the best assassin we ever create. And that protectiveness you showed is exactly why you will be the participant in my experiment. But as I said, we'll get into that another time." He says in an equally uninterested tone, the slight tug on the left side of his lip shows me he's enjoying this though. "I will see you in around a month Ms Cook."

"A month?" I ask in confusion, looking at the drips now in my body.

"Yes. You are getting put to sleep until you are healed. It will speed the process and means you will be little to no hassle for me at all. The drugs should kick in soon. Sweet dreams Terri." Were his final words as he and his minions left the room. So, I was getting drugged for a month and then I was being beaten and raped consistently. _I wonder if being brutally raped was different from being raped regularly…_I thought. I began to think of my options quickly, before the drugs could take effect. There was no chance of escape, not this far below ground so I'm stuck here. Assassins go on missions right? So should I just let them train me before I make my escape? Boss guy said I had the potential to be the best, if the experiment he's got in store doesn't kill me that is… So what could I do? I could stay, earn their trust and make my escape. Presuming I live through whatever test they have planned, I could come back, with whatever skill they teach me. I could develop them so they won't see me coming. I could take down the organisation piece by piece. I could finally see my family again.

That's what I'll do. I will become their best assassin. Then I will take them down. I can't just be obedient straight away through… They need to think that they broke me in themselves, which means I need to earn myself some punishments at first to erase suspicion of anything.

Brilliant.

As I decide on this course of action I feel the drugs begin to take effect. My vision becomes blurred and my tongue feels foreign in my mouth, too big to fit there. My eyes begin to drop against my will and I am engulfed into darkness, one last thought on my mind.

_I'll see you soon_


	5. Chapter 5

4 weeks and 3 days later…

_He quietly entered Terri's chamber, silently walking up to her makeshift bed, frightening the doctor who was disconnecting the drips from her body._

"_Jeez! Gary…Don't do that…" The young doctor said, clutching his chest from the shock. "You should just pay more attention to your surrounding Jacob…"Gary stated, staring down hungrily at the now healed sleeping woman._

"_I was just leaving anyway. The nurses and prep team have already been down so she's ready to start training after she eats. She should be awake in the next hour or so. The drugs may still be in her system so she may not be entirely coherent but she should be up and functioning in no time. Are you the one boss guy has sent to see her up?" Jacob asked, looking over at the intimidating man, suspicious of his motives. Jacob new he worked for a corrupt workplace, but if they funded his research and paid him well, who was he to question? Jacob knew what the females in the facility went through to become what they are, but he didn't like the idea of a superior touching a drugged woman who didn't even have the choice to fight back, he had some shred of decency left in him….._

"_Yes. You may leave." Gary said, eyes again raking over the sleeping woman's newly healed figure. Jacob decided to put in a precautionary measure to ensure he didn't defile the subject in front of him. Even in her unconscious state, Jacob had become fond of her. "Ok. Good." Jacob said whilst dragging the drips towards the door. He turned back towards his superior. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Boss man said that a few of the medical team will accompany him down here at some point. I forget whether he said when I notify him of the drip removal or what so you may see him within the hour." Jacob stated easily, watching the nasty gaze of his superior falter and sober, satisfied Gary's intentions were erased, he left the room, gentle closing the door behind him._

_Gary waited until the door shut before moving from his position at Terri's bedside, knowing his boss would not be there so quickly. He walked over to the bottom of the gurney, placing his hand on her slightly cold ankle. His fingers wandered up her smooth, tan legs to her inner thighs, stopping to brush over her thinly covered slit. His hands ran further up her body along her stomach, tracing the soft curves of her firm breasts, finally closing in around her neck. His fingers wrapped themselves gently around her neck, not wanting to leave a bruise. Gary leaned in, his hot breath sweeping over her face near her ear._

"_You will be mine and mine alone Terri." He whispered, licking a line between her ear to her chin before standing and walking into a dark corner for her to awake. He has been assigned to train her with intimacy, a role he has never played before, after her physical battle training with Chase, Strategy training with Delile and education with Jacob, she was his. The sexual aspect was always the last stage of training…he hoped she progressed quickly through the other as he stood there, licking the fingers that had stroked her sex…_

I wake up, still felling drowsy and exhausted. Did I drink last night? I don't really go out without an occasion so that can't be it. I continue to ponder reasons for my weak stare as I try to get up, only to find I can't move properly. My entire body feels heavy and limp and I begin to panic. The first thought that enters my mind is that I am dead. I broke my promise to Lily… I slowly manage to turn my head to the side with effort and, with much effort, manage to lift the lids of my eyes. My vision is blurry; surely if I was dead I wouldn't be able to see at all? Or possibly extremely well if I was some out of my body but no, my vision was just fuzzy, so maybe I wasn't dead.

I try to lift my hands to rub my eyes, but they won't lift higher than a few centimetres. I blink hard a few times in attempt to clear my vision and I finally realise the reasons I can't move my hands. I am restrained. I look around the room frantically, trying to figure out where I am, when I notice the deep crimson colour of the walls. It's like a dam has opened as the memories flood into my brain; Joseph and Angelina, the thugs, the alien attack, Cheshire, the Captain…

So I'm still in the Red Room. _What a stupid name…_I think idly as I relax into what I remember to be a lumpy hospital gurney. I recall the conversation I had with the boss of this place saying I'd be drugged until I heal, a month was it? This explains the added weight I feel on my body, preventing my actions as well as the restraints. I blink rapidly as I crane my neck to examine my body. I can't really take note of the changes as my vision is still impaired and my neck muscles begin to ache from straining it after so little movement over the course of a month. I relax my body once again, focusing on the steady beat of my heart. I wasn't dead. I could still find my family, I just really hoped the drugs wore off soon and I could catch on with the training quickly.

I must have been staring at the ceiling for about an hour when I heard "Well look who's awake" the voice echo through the room. I spun my head around, desperately looking for the source of the voice. I feel vulnerable and uncomfortable with not having fully functional senses yet. For the first time since entering the room, I was frightened.

"You've been asleep for a while my dear…" _My dear…_Only one person I have met would say something like 'my dear' to me. Cheshire. I coughed a few times to clear my throat.

"Ahh, well hello Cheshire. How long have I been sleeping?" I rasp, my voice hardly above a croaky whisper from not talking in so long.

"A little over a month. And its Gary…Not Cheshire…" I held my breath, desperately not wanting my next action to overtake. I could feel my face start to heat up, my lungs where burning of air and I couldn't hold it in any longer and I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard I felt the tears roll down my face and my brain began to thump in rhythm to my heart. Then a forceful impact met my cheek and I stopped abruptly. My vision finally cleared and I breathed a sigh of relief when I could see all the details of the room again, my fear dissipating slightly... I felt my face begin to swell slightly as the sting in my cheek began to intensify. Did that slimy bastard slap me? I turned my face towards where the blow originated from and saw Cheshire a mere meter away from me fuming, his face feverish and nostrils flared. I could do nothing but chuckle at his annoyance.

"Gary? Really?" I said looking back at the ceiling with a smile on my face. I turned back to face his furious expression. "I think I'll stick with Cheshire if I was you." The second the sentence left my mouth his fingers were tightly wrapped around my neck, pushing me further into the mattress. I looked directly into his eyes and cut him off before he had a chance to let out his pathetic would be threat. "Your very, very fucking lucky I'm strapped down…" I said in a low voice, never blinking as that conniving smirk crossed his face. I watched his eyes darken and rage coursed through my body. I could remember all too well the last time a man from this organisation looked at me that way and my body reacted on instinct. My head flew forward and cracked into his nose.

I felt the blood spatter onto my face as he cried out in pain. I may become the victim here, but I refuse to be the submissive too. I looked over to where Cheshire retreated. Looking at his face I felt a swell of pride, although I had no doubt I will have a mark on my head also. The blood was spilling from his nose at a fast rate, falling onto his flimsy pink dress shirt. I could tell from afar that I had broken it. Cheshire looked back at me venomously as the blood ran into his mouth, reminding me of a rabid cannibal or zombie. He began to walk over to me with purpose and I prepared myself for the assault sure to come. As the door opened Cheshire stopped his pursuit and looked towards the exit. A young man and two other middle aged men entered the room alongside the man I spoke to before I was put to sleep. The young man was quite cute, light brown hair that flopped in front of his dark brown eyes, he was wearing a lab coat so I presumed he is one of the scientists here. One of the middle aged men was very muscular, dressed in a tight black vest and loose tracksuit bottoms. You could see he was a man of combat from the scars on his face and the wonky nose he had, clearly it had been broken and not set very well numerous times. The other guy on the other hand was the epitome of average. He wasn't muscular or handsome, he wasn't ugly or fat. He dressed in neutral browns and beiges and there really was nothing special about this guy. I actually felt a little sad for him.

All three men stood behind their boss as he looked between me and Cheshire with a smile on his face. He turned to me, admiration and greed clear in his eyes,

"Had a good morning so far then Terri?"

**Sorry for any spelling mistakes. I do check but I do miss them sometimes. A few more chapters of Terri's experiences before Captain joins the plot. **

**How do you like the progression so far?**

**Kaylee**

**x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long update, time just slips by, plus I encountered a wee bit of writers block. I'll try to update more frequently :)**

**Anyway here is the next chapter. Tell me what you think or progression suggestions.**

I watched 'Gary's' posture go rigid from the corner of my eye, clearly he was disappointed and annoyed at the intrusion and probably embarrassed too, I mean, I would be. Cheshire looked over to me, dark promises held within his eyes…totally worth it though, arrogant moron. I smiled at him sweetly before turning to his boss.

"It's been just peachy." I say charmingly, the sarcastic edge untraceable in my voice but clear in the message. "Cheshire has been a darling" I say looking Cheshire in the eyes. He simply gives me a dirty look before retreating behind his boss. " So when will I be released?" I ask.

"Released? You will not be released you stupid girl" Cheshire replies arrogantly.

I stare at him blankly for a few seconds before turning to his boss. "Let me clarify for those less capable in the room. When will I be released from the confines of this bed? You may or may not be aware but I have been drugged for over a month and I would love to stretch my muscles a bit" A smile stretches across boss man's face but he made no move to reply. I looked over to Cheshire through narrowed eyes as I waited for my answer, he returned my scowl with equal fervor, once again angry at being made a fool of, not that I give a damn. It will probably come and bite me on the arse later but for now I relish the times I manage to humiliate this pompous idiot, he really rubs me the wrong way.

"I'd also love to get this crap off me…" I add, tipping my head slightly back to gesture to the drying blood on my face, hoping to prompt an answer. "You will be released once we are finished here" the leader finally replied. "we've been through bad behaviour repercussions haven't we?" he continues. I rack my brain for this conversation we may have had but I cannot recall it at the moment. I decide to say nothing and simply look at him until he continues. We stare at each other in silence for a few minutes before he finally speaks.

"Ok, well then lets begin introductions shall we, Chase." The muscular middle aged man stepped forward. "This is Chase. He will be your instructor, mentor and guide throughout the battle and fighting stage of your training. He will not go easy on you, you need to be able to take pain, depending in the inflicted wounds you may be given times to heal, others you will not and you will need to fight with these added vulnerabilities. Delile." The depressingly average guy steps forward this time, his face equally as passive as Chase. "Now Delile will be your strategic trainer. He will teach you ideal infiltration plans for appropriate targets. You will learn how every target is unique so the same plan can never be used more than once. Jacob." The cute younger man stepped forward this time, giving me a tight smile and small wave. He's nervous….hmm, of what? "Jacob will supply your education…"

"Education?" I interject in slight disbelief. "I'm 24 years old. I've lived fine so far without algebra…"

"That was then Terri. This is now." Boss man replies. He takes a small pause, mulling something over in his head before speaking again. "You will be going under cover and encountering many prestigious and intellectual targets and sometimes it may take more than your…womanly charms to gain their attention. So yes, you will learn much; think of it as a free college education. Jacob is also in charge of the experimental phase of you time here but we will not be going into that." He said absolutely. I decide to keep my curiosity at bay. An experimental phase can't be good and I can't afford to panic yet, I will face it as it comes.

"Ok…" I concede. I shift my gaze over to the young man. 'Jacob' "will there be tests?" I ask. He lets out a lowly chuckle before answering. " Yes, I'm afraid there is." Jacob says plainly, giving me a warm smile. The boss guy then clears his throat, turning my attention back to him.

"Then there is Gary as your final trainer. He will be teaching you the art of seduction and physical satisfaction…" my heart stops and my mind blanks out all further sound. I can no longer her that mans informative drawl. Shivers of terror quake down my spine. How can this be? Karma is surely not that cruel. My muscles are tense and rigid as I attempt to keep the blank mask upon my face. I knew this would come around and bite me. I close my eyes and lay my head back against the uncomfortable mattress. I'm pretty sure that the man is still speaking but I can't pay attention to what he's saying, although I probably should. I draw in a deep breath and try to quieten the pessimistic ramblings of my mind, there's no point being afraid, it won't change anything. He has a job to do and a curriculum of sorts to teach, it would have happened anyway. I think of perhaps playing nice to make it easier, but I know that would be futile, besides I won't let him win. The fear is still raw in my heart as I begin to once again tune into the current conversation, hoping my façade of calm was still intact to my onlookers.

"…probably will not like all the methods you will have to do but as I have said many times, everyone has different tastes, your job is to cater to the targets fetishes to lure them in, failure to do so will be punished" he finished. Since he carried on talking I guess my inner turmoil went unnoticed.

Awesome.

I looked over to Gary and once again saw that Cheshire smile stretched broadly across his face, filled with malicious intent. On instinct I cringed away, causing his smile to widen further.

"Seriously, Cheshire?!" I say looking at the boss man, needing to get away from that smile desperately. "Couldn't you have picked someone a bit more, I don't know: suave, charming, handsome? It just seems you're asking a lot of me to fake it with that…" I finish. I'll probably regret it later but for right this moment, the idea of giving even the slightest him of satisfaction was unforgivable.

"You won't have a choice of target Miss Cook. Trust me, Gary may as well be Prince Charming compared to some of our previous contracts."

I laugh inwardly. No one jumping to his defence then. Ha!

"Seduction is the last item on the list anyway. You can kill without it, it's just handy for certain subjects. You will receive the strategy, intellect and battle training together through a schedule as they are the absolute necessities once you are deemed ready you will go on to Garys more physical instruction ."

I'm trying to process all this information through my fear and drugged infused brain but it seems to be difficult, which I hate as that means the reality will hit me a lot harder than I thought.

"Your start today. You will not see me very often nor do you need to. I suppose I will next be around during the experimental phase. Work hard. Do as you're told." The boss man says whilst walking towards the door. "Remember what I said about disobedience Terri " he says quietly before closing the door, leaving me with my 'Trainers'. Chase gestures to Cheshire and Jacob to follow him out the room, making me and Delile the final to present. He silently makes his way over to my bedside and releases my retrains. "I will be giving you the tour of where you will be permitted to go" he said in a rather erotic, deep voice. Oh…That was unexpected. "You won't be staying in this room. Here your battle and seduction sessions will take place along with several others. Occasionally you may need to battle one of your fellow 'Femme Fatales' for training, or possibly diminish the selection…"

"Diminish the selection?" I cut in, still flabbergasted by the handsomeness of his voice. He looks over at me with a raised eyebrow which I return. "Yes, wheedle out the weakest of the bunch, survival of the fittest. Why would we want less than perfect assassins?" he asks as though it's the most obvious things in the world. His attitude to the death of these women is so cold…but I suppose it would need to be to work in an organisation like this. "Some people like vulnerability; they may even call it an asset." I say. "Yes. But an assassin should not have a vulnerability. They should be like a robot. Impervious to emotional turmoil, strong, beautiful. If a target requires a vulnerable subject they should be able to act as fragile as needed to infiltrate. It's one of the strategies you shall learn with me. Now get up and stretch your legs so we can make a move." He says handing me a cane.

I swing my body round so my legs are hanging off the gurney and take the cane. I gently slide my body lower so my feet touch the floor and begin to put my weight on them. It's difficult and painful but I'm finally standing upright and it feels good. I go to take a step but it seems I was over confident as midway I collapse on the floor. Sparks of pain shoot to each point in my body and I cry out quietly. My muscles are a lot weaker than I thought…

"Get up" Delile says. No sympathy there then. Instead of replying I look at him and flop on my back, straightening my spine. I begin to slowly curl my knee towards my body and lift my arms above my head like the Pilates people to on TV. I do this a few times at a slow pace, stretching the tendons gently, memories of my first year in Manhattan flickering through my brain… I push them aside though. I know exactly how to push back form something like this. "I will. I'll just hurt myself further if I don't do this." I say in a quiet, laboured breath. Delile doesn't question me further, he just goes and leans by the door with his phone out. I wonder if he gets any signal down here?

After a few minutes on careful stretches I begin to get back on my feet. It takes a while but finally I am standing, leaning heavily on the cane I've been given. I try taking another step, this time slightly more weary of my actions.

_Easy does it_… I think idly. I feel a light sweat break out on my brow, moistening the now dry blood upon my face… Lovely, but I succeed. On the outside I simply breathe a sigh of relief but on the inside there's a little Mexican conga line celebrating the achievement. I take another small step slowly and continue the process until I feel confident in my walking capabilities. It takes about ten minutes of constant moving but I finally feel like I can walk at what is typically considered a 'relaxed pace'. However I am now sweating like I just did a 5 mile run. I turn to Delile.

"OK, well I can't walk to fast but I won't be moving like a slug anymore" I say breathlessly, walking towards him, demonstrating my speed. He looks up from his phone with a blank stare and opens the door, gesturing to me to exit. "Then shall we?"


	7. Chapter 7

**I've realised I write in first person a lot. It's actually quite difficult so I've decided to do it like this only in chapters where it is a majority of one person or if only a single persons view matters (or if I just don't know what to do for the others) otherwise it will be a outside, more narrator-ish view.**

**Anyway since I made you wait so long heres another chapter early.**

Delile matches my pace, which I am thankful for, as we leave the room. I notice in the corner of my eye two guards following us, trying to be discrete, but decide to ignore it, protection for the trainers I suppose. We are silent for a minute or two before Delile stops at a door.

"This is the room that myself and Jacob will teach you in" he says, jerking a thumb towards the pale grey door. I nod my understanding and then we continue. "There will be lessons you will have to teach yourself I hope you know." I just look at him in confusion, as its taking all my effort to simply walk alongside him I choose not to talk much. He doesn't elaborate, but stops at a room which he opens this time. He motions for me to move inside and I do. "This is where you will be staying. Clean yourself up then call for me. I will be waiting outside. I have one more thing to do before leaving you to settle." He says before closing the door. I look around the room. It was plain and small, but livable. The walls were grey, probably once white, and a bed sat in the right-back corner of the room. To the left-back corner of the room was a small shower , toilet and metallic sink with a mirror above it. An en-suite huh? A crappy en-suite, but one none the less. Bonus.

I looked to my left near the door and there was a small counter with a kettle and a cabinet hanging over it. A kettle? Alright… I then turn to my right and I see a cupboard. A wardrobe perhaps? I move over to it and open the wooden doors. Empty wire hangers sat on the railing but there were towels on the shelf above it. I reach up slowly, careful on my still regenerating muscles and grab a towel before stripping off my bloody gown and underwear. I walk over to the shower and turn it on. I find some basic washing supplies and step under the lukewarm spray. I let the water hit my face for a while, allowing myself a minute to wallow in self-pity and loathing. I sigh deeply and concentrate on removing the blood from my hair and face. Once I feel I have completed the task adequately I wash my body. I stop abruptly when I notice something peculiar. I have been asleep for over a month and yet… I have no excess body hair? I look down at my legs and armpits to find them smooth as a baby's bum and check my bikini line to find a neat little landing strip. I beat down the rage building inside me. Knowing someone touched me so intimately without my knowledge made me feel near homicidal. But I need to keep this to myself, I need to control and target my anger. I'm not in any shape for a punishment yet and deep down, knowing who these people are and what they stand for, I know I've been incredibly lucky to get away with what I have so far…

I finish my routine briskly, deciding to ask Delile when he returns. I turn off the shower and pat my hair with the towel to dry it as much as possible before wrapping it around myself. Realising I have nothing to change into I put my dirty clothes in one of the two plastic bins at the foot of my bed. I suppose the one without the lid is to work as a clothes hamper…well it is now anyway. I take a seat on my new bed and call for Delile.

He enters the room with a young man dressed in black who carries a variety of black suits and costumes to my wardrobe. He hangs them and abruptly leaves without a single glance at me.

"What are those?" I ask, pointing to the wardrobe.

"Your various training outfits. You'll be told what to wear in your routa which is hanging above your bed." I look up as surely enough there was a schedule. Jeez, I felt like I was in school again. Except a much more deadly school… I'll study the timetable later.

Delile walks over a few folded items to my bed and places them next to be. "All items have been measured to fit perfectly so don't worry about that now…" Here is where I feel I need to intervene.

"Can you tell me exactly how they managed to get these measurements and where the hell my body hair seems to have gone off too?" I ask in a sarcastic, heated tone. Delile lets out an impatient sigh, as if he is dealing with a child.

"When you were asleep of course. And your hair is gone. We don't have time for all that prepping and pruning, and besides you will not be trusted with things such as razors in your quarters. It has be lasered off permanently. I believe women pay for procedures like that so don't…"

"I WAS ASLEEP AND YOU DIDN'T ASK MY PERMISSION TO TOUCH ME LIKE THAT!" I shout, surprised at my own outburst. I feel a sharp sting against my cheek. Really? Slapped again? I look at Deliles angry eyes as he whispers "We do not need your permission to do such things. Now be silent until I leave." I don't say a word and stare into his hard eyes, waiting for the stinging to subside.

"Good. Now, you still have two tutors to meet which will happen tomorrow morning. As you're still weak the next month will be spent with me, Jacob and the other two tutors whilst you build you strength back up in the gym. Guards will escort you to and from the gym and sessions. There is a box outside your door that will be checked weekly. Write only necessities you need i.e. feminine products and that is all. Stupid or obtuse requests will be ignored and you will be punished for wasting our time. Room and clothes will be cleaned whilst you are training and food will be brought three times a day. We need you strong and healthy for the jobs. Now, give me your arm." I do as I'm told hesitantly as he pulls out a needle. "This serum is given to all agents. It speeds healing, slows aging and boosts immune system as well as various other uses which are unique to the person. In a few minutes you will want to lie down as it will hurt a lot as it spreads through your system. It's now 6:43 pm. I'll see you in the morning." Delile pushes the turquoise fluid through the syringe into my arm and then pulls out the needle. He keeps it in his hand as he leave the room promptly, shutting the door firmly behind him.

I drop my towel in the clothes bin and dress myself the underwear, loose yoga bottoms and white V-neck t-shirt I have been handed, mulling over what I was just told in disbelief. Surely there is no such serum? And if there was why use it on someone that has no loyalty to them yet? Either they are extremely confident in their captive capabilities, they are thick as fuck, or the serum is just a toxin or multi-vitamin concoction. Probably that, TV is always saying how this food or this mineral extents life, blah blah blah. Coming to that conclusion, I think of examining my schedule when my body begins to heat up and my skin begins to prickle. I sit down on the edge of my bed, thinking maybe its because I've strained my body too much, too quickly today and attempt to take a few breathes to calm my racing heart, except breathing is becoming difficult. I try to draw in some air sharply but my chest feels like its collapsing in on itself, like clamps have been placed on my lungs to restrict my breathing. Trying not to panic I lie down on my bed, still struggling to pull in enough oxygen.

I lie there for a few minutes finally feeling as though I have regained the control of my lungs, thinking that Delile exaggerated the pain when a shrill scream erupted from my chest. All air I just managed to take in exited my body in one ghastly rush as it seized and contorted from the pain. It feels like fire is scorching the linings of my veins. The scream is foreign to my own ears, but I know it belongs to me. I twist and turn my body, putting pressure on various points to try and alleviate the pain, but nothing works. Another wave of agony hits me and my body begins to quake violently and spasm. My limbs begin to straighten and tighten on their own accord, lifting my back off of the bed. The torment continues but I try and hold the cries in. I feel tears slip from my eyes as the burning begins to rise drastically. Then as quickly as it came, it left.

I collapsed back onto my bed, covered in a strained sweat, gasping for the air that flowed easily through my lungs now. My muscles ached as they began to relax and I wiped the tears flowing from my eyes. At the wall to my right which the bed was pressed against and found what looked like a digital clock embedded into the wall loosely. I reached over weakly and used my nails to pull it out. My sight was blurred from the tears and my head felt groggy, so when I held the clock in from of my face it was still difficult to read. I blinked as hard as I could a few times and could finally make out the time.

6:51 PM!

Surely that can't be right?! It felt like that pain had lasted for hours, not 8 minutes! I placed the clock back in its resting place and continued to breathe deeply. The various cramps and strains beginning to loosen and dull. As my eyelids began to drop I felt strangely energetic, huge contradiction as right now all I wanted was to sleep. However, the energy continued to pulse to each corner of my body, to the tips of my fingertips the ends of my toes. I feel asleep to the gentle vibrations seeming to emit from my body.

_As Terri drifted off to sleep, 6 onlookers watched her though a large television. _

"_8 minutes is impressive. Our usual candidate take up to 4 hours to completely take to that serum…although it looked like it hurt her a lot more than the others…" One lady began._

"_Yes but what we need to know is Why that is Veronica. It's a substantial difference." Another female replied._

"_I understand that but it does correlate with Erskines notes. This is a diluted, more controllable form of the super serum, the only successful replica so far. Flaws occurred in many of the other candidates after receiving it, whether its mental or physical. I can evaluate her during my session tomorrow mentally but just look at her Rose" Veronica replied, a hint of awe in her voice. All eyes in the room returned to the screen. Subtle changes were beginning to take effect on Terris body. Her brown hair began to grow a few inches and honey highlights began to rise in her hair. Her breasts grew slightly, became more full and buoyant. Her hips and thighs also adjusted accordingly, giving Terri a distinct and elegant hourglass figure. _

"_Huh… Well she does look good. But usually it makes the girls more toned or slimmer…" Rose trailed off._

_Just then a seventh person entered the room. "Gary, your right. She doesn't shut up." Gary chuckled at his obvious frustration. "I won't be such a bad thing in the field I suppose, men nowadays like a girl like that. Clearly not you though, I don't think I've ever seen you hit one of our girls before Delile" Gary said turning his back to him and once again facing the screen._

"_Never had too. Have fun with her Jacob, you've got her the longest." Delile mumbled. Jacob remained quiet, seeing no need to answer, still fixed on the sleeping Terri. She was so beautiful, even before the serum he found himself drawn to her. When she was in her weak and injured state and he was there monitoring her healing, Jacob found her stunning. However that was not the reason he was staring at the screen now. Jacobs view sided with Rose, why was she so different?_

"_It must be our adjustments to the serum. Erskines notes said that the essence of who the person is matters when giving it, so she must be a fairly good person for her appearance to change like that. But the accident that made the serum we have stable must do something we haven't seen before. Maybe because we raise the girls from a young age or we get the drug addled from the street. Either way we could say there's something less than pure about them, whereas Terri has grown on her own with little influence. It's all I can think of that may affect it that is similar to Erskines original hypothesis…"Jacob said out loud, turning to the man in the centre of the room._

"_Well it's all good her looking pretty boss but it strengthened the other girls. If she doesn't have that then she'll die in training with me. I don't care either way but then she'll be useless for your little experiment." A man in the corner of the room pitched in._

_Breaking away from Jacobs gaze, the man in the center of the room stood, walking closer to the screen, examining the girl before him._

"_You don't need to worry about that Chase. Before being injected she managed to kill three of the men you trained at 17. Its not her strength you need to worry about."_

" _That was her?!" Chase replied incredulously, stepping closer to look at the girl._

_The leader rubbed his hand across his face. "READ. THE. FILE." He said pointedly to Chase. He turned to Veronica. "Like I said it's not the physical side I'm worried about. It's the mental. I want a full evaluation."_

_Veronica nodded her compliance. "Yes Sir. But why are you worried?"_

"_Not so much worried. No physical errors seem to have occurred. Something has always gone wrong somewhere. She's the best subject I can find for the super serum. I want her perfect. We only have one shot at it." He replied, eyes never straying from the screen. "You're dismissed." He added._

_His underlings bowed their heads silently and filed out the room to their areas._


	8. Chapter 8

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! _

_OH MY GOD! _

I shoot bolt upright when that shrill alarm goes off. It's so damn loud! I scramble to pull it out the wall to try and silence that terrible noise. I don't even remember setting an alarm…must be pre-set.

Finally I manage to drag the offensive mechanism from the wall and turn off that annoying noise.

_What a stupid place to stick an alarm clock_…I think irritably. In my rush to shut the thing up I hadn't had a chance to look at the time, 5:45! Are you fucking kidding me?!

I flop back down on my bed with a huff of indignation and lie there for a few minutes, you'd think after sleeping for a month I'd feel less tired... But like hell am I waking up like this every morning, that clock needs to move so I can just hit it instead of clawing the walls to shut it off. I roll to my side and prop myself up on one elbow to look around my room. There's not much to use if I'm being honest, no small tables or what not. I look at the bottom of my bed and look at my hamper/bin. That'll have to do for now.

I push myself up, a dull pain still traceable in my bones and take care of my morning business. I think back to the pain of last night and supress a shudder, instead trying to feel thankful it only lasted 8 minutes. I shake my head of those thoughts as I finish with my morning bathroom routine and go to retrieve the washing hamper. I pick it up and pace it against the back wall next to my bed. I then retrieve that stupid clock from the slot in the wall and place in on top. Now I just need to turn over to turn it off instead of having a small panic attack in the mornings. Happy with my furniture improvisation, I look over to my schedule to see what I am doing today. I notice there are two schedules, one titled WEEK ONE INTRODUCTION and the other simply SCHEDULE. I'm gonna go out on a whim here and follow the WOI schedule.

''PRIDE' SESSION 6:30 AM'

Pride session? Am I learning about lions or what….? Confused as to what the lesson could be I tie up my hair and quickly jump in the shower and wash my body, excluding my hair as it was already clean. Once I'm finished with my cold shower I walk across the room to my wardrobe, dripping wet.

I forgot my towel.

I open the doors and reach up and grab the nearest one and begin to dry off my body, then place it on the floor and drag it with my feet to dry the huge wet patches. Why do I feel so different today? Once I dry myself I look down at myself.

Huh.

I do not remember my boobs looking like this. I shower often, so I'm pretty well acquainted with them, and these are not mine. Well they are, but there not. I move my hands to run over my breasts. They are definitely…perkier. Before I could cup them and they would fill my hands precisely, now I can't.

Strange.

Not bad strange I guess, I mean, they are nice and bigger and all that, but how?

I run my hands over the rest of my body, noting all the differences mentally, desperately wanted to get hold of a long mirror. The easiest way to explain how I feel to myself is, well, curvier. With a boggled mind I pull out the black underwear I have been given from my wardrobe. The knickers fit but, the sport bra feels a too tight. As my boobs seem to stand quite well on their own I decide to go without it and grab some black yoga pants, a white V-neck t-shirt and a black jacket. The trousers fit snuggly around my bottom and thighs and the top hugs my chest. I decide just to tell Jacob what's happened and see what he has to say about it, I mean, he's in the department who make it. I check the clock; its 6:20 now.

I walk over to the sink to brush my teeth, once I'm done I take a glance at myself in the mirror. I can make out my features, they are definitely my brown eyes, and that's the slope of my nose I got from my mum, but it's not me. My lips look fuller, eyelashes longer and darker. My hair looks longer, fuller, and are those highlights? How the fuck did this happen? My complexion is clearer and my skin looked more tan, despite being held underground unconscious for weeks on end…

Is this what the serum does…? Delile just spoke about ageing and healing though, did he mention physical changes and I tuned out? Well, it's possible. I suppose it could have been much worse. I could have turned blue and grew four arms.

_BANG BANG BANG_

"Ms Cook? Time to leave. Stand by your bed with your hands behind your back." I heard a gruff voice call from behind the door. I complied and did as I was told. A few seconds later two men appeared in the doorway. One looked me over and stalked into the room to place a leather cord around my neck. Slightly barbaric if you ask me but I suppose it does give some control. The other guard stood waiting in the doorway, examining me with slight curiosity. Does he know who I am? Shit. What if they knew I killed their co-workers? Of bugger… it's gonna be like one of those prisons where one inmate get beaten up a lot because something they did to get in jail… calm down, calm down…. I take a deep breath and smile at the guard. Be good, get on good side. I only need to be punished my tutors, not the guards.

"Good morning gentlemen" I say quietly, polite smile still on my face. The guard in the doorway smiled back and then just as quickly covered his mouth, seeming surprised at himself… strange. The guard holding my neck cord tucked it sharply to get me to start moving.

Myself and my escorts walked in silence until we reached a grey door which they then opened and pushed me inside, closing the door abruptly behind them.

I look at the door in shock. What the….

"You must be Terri" a musical voice called. I turn to face the owner of the voice and find a very beautiful woman. She was slim, had delicate pale skin and looked around 40; her strawberry blonde hair was curled loosely, elegantly pinned to the left side of her neck. Her green eyes were piercing, like she was trying to see into my soul, not necessarily for good causes either. Overall she was a very handsome woman, but you could easily see there was little good in her.

"I am. I'm guessing your my, uh, 'Pride' tutor?" I say, doing quotation gestures with my hands when saying 'Pride'.

"You find something funny with the name of my session?" she asks with a raised eyebrow, clearly not amused. Maybe I could line myself up for a punishment with this lady….

"A little, I mean Pride? It feels like I'm about to study the Lion King or someth….GAHH!" My sentence is cut of as a powerful electric shock shoots through my body. I wasn't prepared for the assault so I had no time to tense to limit my movement. Instead my body collapsed to the floor and I convulsed until the shocks stopped.

"Well…" I croaked. May as well go for gold… "What a lovely induction that was." I continue groggily. Sitting up and pushing gently on my temples to ease some of the ache. Again the jolts ran through my body but I was prepared this time. I tensed my sore muscles and braced myself for the attack. It felt like millions of tiny little heated daggers were piercing every muscle, ligament and tendon in my body and it was incredibly difficult to stop my body from moving much. I tried really hard to stay still but I was too weak and after a few minutes my body gave up on my will. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head as my body once again convulsed. It was surreal, being in so much pain but being unable to cry out. I must look like a fish flopping around on a beach.

How embarrassing…

Finally it stopped. I lay there for a few moments, just breathing heavily. "I think I've made my point." The lady said. I rolled my head to look at where she is standing, triumphant smirk on her face. I notice her eyes dart to my neck for just a millisecond before turning and walking over to a dressing table in the room. With a shaking hand I reach up and touch my neck, feeling the leather neck tie still wrapped there. That must be how she's managing to electrocute me! Her back is still to me as she arranges some items on the table. I reach up with both hands, trying to find a way to remove the collar from my neck. I quickly find a tiny tag on the side and pull it, releasing my head from its confines. I stand up quietly on shaking legs and examine the leather strip. On the inside is a thin set of metal wires which must have been distributing the shock, little miss red head must have a device to set it off. I remove the wires and any metal device I can see entwined with the strap and them wrap it around my neck again. I drop the wires to the floor and place one foot over them as I lean back as nonchalantly as I can against the door, arms crossed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok so Terri will have a few sessions with each tutor before I bring in the Cap himself ok? I feel I need to develop her a little more for myself before I do. Then the romaction begins… Thanks for being patient with me x**

"Come" The woman snapped. So I'm a dog now? I rolled my eyes at her tone but made my way over to her none the less, keeping the wiring under my foot.. My legs felt foreign to me, to wobbly and shaky to be my own. I reached the woman and she sat me in the chair at the…Dressing table? I looked at all the products she had just lined out on the table top and saw a huge variety of make-up, lotions and potions before me. I looked towards her, a confused expression set in my features.

"I am Veronica, your Pride tutor. I call it Pride, not for your amusement, but because that is basically what I teach. I show you the correct way to dress yourself and take pride in your appearance for a variety of situations. My colleague Rose will be your tutor for you next session in here and she will teach you're the different behaviours you will need to complete missions. Now, look in the mirror." Veronica instructed. I did as I was told and faced forward to look in the elegant mirror in front of me, except I didn't recognise the reflection held there. I raised a shaky hand to touch my face, I could tell it was me, but it wasn't me… my lips felt fuller as I ran my fingertip across them, eyelashes looked longer and my eyes now held a pigment that was not there before. I had murky brown eyes, but now they were chocolate, with honey tones and specks of… is that violet, green too? The new colours that had infused themselves in my eyes made me look strange. I couldn't get used to them. My hand then moved through my hair which seemed lighter. My hair had always been quite soft but it was now a lot fuller than before, alongside its added body it seemed to have grown a few inches. How did this happen?

"The serum" Veronica said, making me jump. Did I say that out loud?

"Is that what happened to my body too?" I asked. "Yes, it enhances certain aspects of our body."

"How is changing my eyes an enhancement?" I ask, turning back to the mirror.

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously. Strange... "My eyes, they have different colours in them now, they were just a dull brown before…whoa, easy!" My explanation was cut off as Veronica strode over and took my face in her hands roughly. She stared into my eyes, examining them I guess. After about 2 minutes she pulled out a camera from a draw in the dressing table and took a picture of my shocked face. What the…

"I guess my entire plan will need to change to suit your eyes now." She sighed. She wasn't fooling me. Something was wrong with me, no one would act so0 shocked at my eyes then wave it off as a hitch in a plan. I wonder what's happened…

"Well let's begin then. How do you feel?" She asked, pulling a chair from nowhere, staring at me straight faced, poised with a pen and pad. I quickly glanced around to see where she got these things from and found nothing.

"Ok, let's do simple questions… How does your body feel?" Veronica sighed in expiration at my silence. "Fine, energetic, sort of unfamiliar but good overall…" I trailed off at the end. Wasn't I electrocuted less than an hour ago? But I felt fine, better than before even. I thought back to last night, Delile said something about healing processes speeding up, but that fast.

"That's good, now…" Veronica continued to question me for about an hour, some necessary questions about allergies etc, luckily I have just one to nickel which isn't overly bad anyway.

"Ok final question before we turn to the table. What's your sexual status? Are you a virgin?" she asked, still scribbling along her page. "Heterosexual I guess, never experimented. Not a virgin." At this she looked up, I was surprised at the shocked expression on her face.

"I thought you would be." She said, turning back to her book. "Why? I ain't that bad." I say, slightly offended. She just tutted at my insecurities and said simply. "I wasn't commenting on your desirability. The changes the serum has caused you have been different to the others so I just thought that would be why." She didn't expand further with her explanation. "How long has it been since your last sexual encounter?" was her next question.

"About 8 years?" I say. She raises her eyebrow. Does she want details? "What?" I ask.

"Elaborate" so she does want details. "Well, I lost my virginity at 16, about a week before my 17th. 16 is the age of consent in England by the way. Anyway, I don't really regret the guy, he was lovely and caring and I had been his 'girlfriend' for about a year. I'm pretty sure I was in love with him but I don't know what happened with him after I disappeared, probably making someone else happy now. However I do regret the age. I should have been more traditional, saved myself for marriage etc but what can you do. Trying to hide from you lot didn't really inspire me to make booty calls either so I never had sex other from that one time, so I may as well be a virgin now…" I say, saddened slightly at the memory or Fred, he was so great… Returning back to reality I see Veronica signing thr bottom of the page in her notebook. Were done?! Yes! I hate being questioned …

"You realise that's going to make the last phase of your training harder right?" I hear her say as she places the book on her seat as she stands. "Well, it's not something I need to worry about now. I'll deal with it as it comes." I reply, turning to the products on the table.

"Hmm. Well I have about 20 minutes with you left, so I'll explain the vital base coats. These ones…." For the next 20 minutes Veronica explained the differences in certain foundations and powder effects. I doubt I'll remember but it is my first session after all, who knew there was make-up for different occasions. I'm not very good at make-up… one foundation and one mascara are all I have ever used so she will have fun with me. I think this session will be the best way to earn my punishments; it will come so naturally anyway. This session and the combat, I need to learn to take pain anyway. Punishments from the already harsh lessons will aid that target and also give them an idea of me 'breaking'. Yes. Targets set. Plan in action.

Roses class was much simpler for me, although she was extremely cold and critical, reminding me a little of Miss Truncherball from Matilda, except a prettier and far less athletic version. My mother was always one for 'Ladies Etiquette' and manner. She grew up in a common household in the heart of Newham in East London and always wished for a better life. When she met my Dad and they fell in love she taught herself all these manners Rose was demonstrating to me in order to impress my father's more upper class parents. She taught me and Lilly, practically ingrained them into us so visits with my grandparents went smoothly, lessons I once hated I now couldn't be more thankful for. I do love impressing people.

"Hmm. Seems your sessions with me aren't going to last too long then." Rose says, a smile playing on the corners of her thin lips. Don't be to chuffed about it….Jeez. "In this case you already know much. I teach you the different attitudes and then I will give you an exam. You complete it, you will never need to show up in my session again. Are we clear?" she asked.

"As day" I replied.

"Good. Until the end of this lesson I will teach you various approaches for a crooked business man or tycoon…now here…." I copied Roses movements and mannerisms as best I could and think I remembered most of it. She gave me a scenario to act out in front of her, after a few moments of hesitation on my part I began to awkwardly play me role. "NO!" Rose shouted as I felt an acute pain lash its way down my back. I whipped around and saw she had found something similar to a three-tailed whip to 'prompt' me with. "Again, from the beginning." This occurrence happened a few more time. Each time I did better than the last, until finally I finished the scenario without receiving a hit. I guess my final attempt went well then?

"Better. That was believable. You will be leaving for gym now so go" Rose snapped, turning from me. The sharp sting on my back was beginning to fade as the guards from earlier made their way through the door. Once again I smiled at them all as I was led away from the room. By the time we reached the gym the pain in my back had completely faded. I wonder what injuries take longer. My thoughts are cut as I hear one of the guards state after an hour here I would be going to see Delile…Joy. His junk I will need to learn quickly just to get rid of him. Arsehole…

I'm let off my leash to roam the gym and decide to take it easy and run on the treadmill. I step on the machine and realise…where the fuck are the wires from my collar? Shit… No good will come off that, I shrug of the worries as I can't do anything about it now, and set the treadmill to gradually speed up over the course of an hour. As I settle into a light jog I let my mind wander to nicer things, my family and where they may be, a life I could be living now if none of this happened. I am broken out of my bittersweet 'what-ifs 'by the guards letting me know it was time to leave. Huh… I barely broke a sweat… I think as I dab my only slightly damp forehead. Time for Stratergy…..Yay….


	10. Chapter 10

It's been around two months since I arrived at the Red Rooms, possibly longer. I've decided to give up counting the days. I completed my course with Rose after 5 sessions. I should have gone into acting… Today, thank God, is my final exam with Delile. I pass his shitty test; I never have to see his miserably plain mug again. No need to say that I will ace it. I'm actually surprised with myself with how well I caught on to the strategy training. Apparently I have a fairly good eye for escape routes and sneaky entries. All he really needed to teach me was attack strategies and a few different back up plan methods, but otherwise I impressed myself, I think I even excelled Deliles expectations too. I still haven't got used to my eyes yet. Sometimes I look in the mirror in my room and I see the pigments move and swirl. Last night I woke and there was a light emitting from my index finger. I need to talk to Jacob about it today after my test. I'm finally used to the rest of my body though and its capabilities. I've been practicing a lot in the gym, they places these bungee cord thing in there for flexibility, after a few weeks practice I am much more bendy and after A LOT of attempts and broken necks I can final perform rather powerful backflips.

Yes, I broke my neck 3 times. I nearly shit myself, the pain was excoriating, but not as bad as the crunch I felt inside me and the top of my spinal cord shattered. I still shudder when I think of the noise it made. But these accidents helped me understand my healing capabilities better. Broken bones heal within a few days; my neck took about 4 whereas my leg and elbow took less than 2 to heal, so I guess it depends on the type of break. Artificial bruises and scrapes heal overnight whereas deep bruises, you know…the rank mouldy looking ones? They take about a day and a half to heal, depending on how far down in the tissue the bruise goes. I know I was lucky with the times I broke my neck, I don't think I'm invincible by any means, but it's nice to know out of this ordeal I have, well, kind of a superpower.

I ponder the possible causes of the glow in my hand last night as I dress and wait for the guards to collect me from my room; I think they are warming up to me, I mean they smile back now and greet me by name, also I no longer have to wear that collar, much to Cheshire's dismay, I think I'm beginning to gain the trust I need to escape. New clothes were left in my room on my second day here once people noticed the difference in my size. I dress comfortably as today is also my first combat lesson.

"Terri? Time to go." I hear the guard say as he pushes open my door. "Good morning" The three say in union. I smile softly at them as I return their greeting and walk out the room. We walk silently as usual until we reach my room. "Good Luck" I hear the youngest guard whisper as he opens the door. I smile at him and give him a wink. "I won't need it" I say confidently. He smirks at me and gestures me inside.

"Sit down. Paper is there. When you begin your 3 hours start." Delile says, looking at his nails. I rolled my eyes at him as he raises his eyes to glare at me and sit at my desk.

I finished in 2.

"Done" I say as I lean back in the chair, startling Delile in the corner.

"Already?" He asked in disbelief. He snapped out of his reverie and approached my desk. "Guess ill mark it with you here then" he mumbled. I sat in silence as he looked through my exam. I was confident that I didn't die in a single scenario he gave me so I wouldn't have to see him again after this lesson hopefully. Finally, he looked up.

He sighed dramatically as he looked at me but didn't speak. Why isn't he talking? I couldn't have failed it! I'd been revising it too hard to have failed! I mentally scolded myself for getting so worked up. What am I thinking? I'm not in secondary school. But what if I did fail? What if…

"It's the best paper I've mark since working here" Delile sighed, sounding deflated. "Only two scenarios were you injured in some way and you didn't die either. Congratulations" Delile said placing my paper in my file. I breathed a sigh of relief. "For a second there I thought I failed" I said with a smile on my face. Two lessons down.

"I thought you would" he said, packing up his things. Wait here until Jacob arrives, I need to go update you information." With that he up and left the room. Locking me inside it confines. I felt rather smug at my AWESOME test results, the best he's marked….cool. I crossed my arms and lay my head on them. I had about half hour before Jacob arrived so I decided to rest my eyes.

_Veronica waltzed into my lesson with Rose, eyes blazing a storm. I saw her stiff posture and could see so many different emotions in simply her walk. She was uncomfortable, awkward slightly, afraid of something perhaps? But she was also pissed about something. I looked towards Rose and saw she had taken a step back. This is not good…_

_Veronica stopped a few steps away from me and I noticed a far more lethal version of Roses three-tailed whip in her hand, this whip had various sizes of thick metal attached to it. Some long and sharp like knifes, others small and pointy. Punishment…_

_She raised her other hand and dropped a thing entanglement of wire to the floor. Shit…My collar wire…_

"_What's that?" She asked in a slightly shaky but still cold voice. Well, I need to be punished…_

"_A ball of wire" I say nonchalantly, although on the inside all I want to do is cry and run. This was going to hurt._

_Four guards entered the room behind Veronica. Two took each of my arms in a vice grip whilst the other two were armed and stood behind me. Veronica said not a word and she turned on her heel to leave the room. I struggled against the guards holds but it was useless, they kept their grip on me tight and they leant outwards, as if they were trying to rip my arms from their sockets. After a few minutes of struggling through my pain I gave up and allowed them to drag me to whatever destination. A few minutes past and we approached the red room. They paused at the open door for a few moments, perhaps to worsen what's to come through fear perhaps? I'm not sure. Once I was in the room two thick, medieval looking chains hung low from the ceiling. Cheshire stood smugly under them with Veronica next to him. The guards let me go and stood a single step back from me._

"_Remove your clothes" Veronica said with a steely edge to her tone. I stood there, staring her straight in the eye, unmoving. She stepped forward and backhanded me, so hard it caused me to stagger backwards. "Either you remove them or someone will remove them by force." She spoke again in the same cold tone. I looked back at the guards, heads hung like school kids hoping they won't be chosen. No, I won't make them do that. I steadily removed my clothes until I was standing in just my underwear, Cheshire wasn't seeing everything until he needed too._

_Cheshire gestured to one of the guards to bind my wrists in the chains coming from the ceiling. Once I was secured Veronica handed Cheshire the whip and walked towards the door. The guards walked out before her as she pressed a button by the door, lifting my arms and body until I could only just touch the ground by my tip toes. She held the door knob, looking over her shoulder at me before she left._

"_Don't mess with our equipment"_

_With that she closed the door and left me alone with Cheshire. I kept my eyes on his face as his trailed along my body. He walked over and I felt something jab in my thigh, I looked down and saw a needle in his hand. What is this?_

"_It won't kill you. It simply paralyzes your movement so you don't struggle or injure me. Because we both know you'll want to" he said, throwing the syringe into a bin. Before I could react he hit me. The crack of the whip echoed through the room. I felt the blades and bead on the tails tear though my skin and a cry escaped my lips. I tried to struggle and move but found I could just about manage a weak wobble in the chains. "Unfortunately for you it doesn't numb any of the pain too…" he said with a smile as he tucked the whip in his belt. I felt blood drip down my stomach as he walked my form. He came to face me again smiling before reaching back and punching me in the face. My head whipped back at the force and I felt blood begin to pool in my mouth. "That was for my nose" he said, stepping back to admire my vulnerable form._

"_So am I right in guessing you asked to play teacher then Cheshire?" I asked as I spit my blood on his shoe. He looked at the pitiful attempt of rebellion and laughed. "No. Actually I didn't. Though I couldn't have asked for a better gift" he said from behind me. I felt his hand trace my sides gently, kneading my soft flesh, gripping me where he pleased. I heard him kneel behind me, breathing heavily. I felt his head trace shapes on my bottom before feeling the sharp sting of his teeth biting my cheek. "You should actually be thankful you know" He said when he came to face me again. _

"_How do you figure?" I say as strongly as I can manage. He remained silent, but had a smile on his face as if recalling a fond memory. "Well, it's kind of a extreme warm up to some of the fetish areas I am going to be teaching you. I must say I love seeing you tied up this way, and if you do maybe we could start there first…" His fingertips traced my inner thigh and my heart raced. I desperately wanted to jerk away but my body wouldn't allow it. Both his hands gripped the backs of my knees and positioned me so he was between my thighs. I felt his erection press against me and I fought back the tears as he held me there. I saw him looking at my breasts, my pounding heartbeat was making my boobs move and I could feel him growing harder against me._

"_Yes…I really like you like this" He said grinding slowly against my core, his tongue tracing my cleavage. I must cry. I must cry. I must not cry. I need to be submissive slightly._

"_Well..." I begin in a bated breath, he probably thinks it's him rather than my fear… "I'd much prefer to start from the beginning, build up to it…" I swallowed the bile in my throat before continuing. "…like this" He didn't cease his grinds but rather added more pressure, letting out a groan, clearly he loves the control. I'm shivering as I fight the need to be sick but allow him to think it's because his own doing. He groans once more and tightens his grip on my thighs before replying. _

"_Yes. Yes. Ah…Yeeesss…I, ah, read your file. Hardly been touched. I suppose that would be the best way after all. Start from the bottom…." As he spoke his thrusts against me became harder. Finally he stopped, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't done. I could still clearly see his boner through his trousers. I heard the crack before I felt it and I cried out. The leather and metal against my bare skin created a burning sensation where it hit. The torture came continuously, without pause or mercy. Each crack more powerful than the last, causing me to bark out in agony. He rotated around my body with the whip, making sure to cause me pain at all angles. I could see the blood on his clothes, I looked down to see some particularly gruesome slices separating the knitting of my skin and flesh. I couldn't stop the sobs escaping my mouth when he began my punishment, but after half an hour, my body began to adjust I only cried out when a particularly rough smack of the whip cut into me. _

_Finally. He stopped._

_Tears escaped my closed eyelids and I heard him pull down his zipper. I opened my eyes slightly to see him rubbing his cock whilst looking hungrily and my deflated form. I hung my head, not wanting to watch him beat himself to my frail form. I head his heavy breathes and sighs, tears still streaming down my face. I felt his ejaculation land on my stomach and felt his breath in my face. I refused to open my eyes though. I didn't want to acknowledge it, so they remained closed. I heard him adjust himself and dress as he walked further away from my, hopefully to the door._

_For about five minutes I let my tears fall slightly and allowed myself to wallow in self-pity for a short while. The drug has worn off but my entire body was tender and sore and I felt too weak to move. The blood on my skin was beginning to dry which means it will need to be scrubbed._

_More pain._

_I heard the door open and a single set of footstep walk briskly towards me. Eyes still closed I felt someone tenderly cup my chin. "He really went overboard didn't he…" The voice said, a slight angry edge to it. I felt and sponge dab at my skin and winced as it brushed over my side. "Sorry!" The voice whispered apologetically. Each wince or cry that left my lips the voice would apologise as he cleaned my wounds. I heard him intake a sharp breath when he reached my back so I know it can't be pretty. When the person reached my front they paused. "What is this?" they whispered. Rage evident in there tone. I opened my eyes to find Jacob staring at my stomach. Ah… Gary's gift._

_I closed my eyes again and replied in a croaky voice. "Exactly what it looks like" I stated simply. There was a pause before Jacob wiped it promptly away. I heard him bin the sponge before retrieving a new one to clean me with and I had to smile at the gesture. _

"_He shouldn't have done that. He also wasn't meant to go this harshly on you." Jacob mumbled. I didn't know how to rely do I remained silent. At least twenty minutes had passed before Jacob deemed my wounds ready to be dressed. He placed some antiseptic on my wounds, which stung like a bitch, before wrapping various points of my body in bandages. Once again he cupped my chin and began to gently rub the tear stains, sweat and blood spatters from my face. I finally opened my eyes to meet his set of tender brown ones. Jacob just backed up slightly._

"_Your eyes…" He simply said. "Yeah… I was hoping you could tell me?" He approaches me again and gently placed my face in both his hands as he looked into my eyes._

"_Would you allow me to do some blood tests for this?" He asked, still examining my eyes. Well, he did ask…_

"_Sure. Perhaps when I'm healed?" I say cautiously. I'm sure he could just take what he wanted otherwise. He smiled warmly at me. "Of course Terri." I smiled back as best I could. Jacob places a wheelchair just behind me before he went to the wall and lowers my chains. My arms ached and my legs wouldn't follow the instructions from my brain to stand so I collapsed ungracefully into the chair. I felt some of my wounds rip further as I did so, causing me to cry out once more. Jacob rushed back over to me, encouraging me to take deep breaths as he gathered up his equipment. I was looking at the puddle of my blood sitting where I was just hanging as Jacob threw his bucket of water over it and used a bristly broom to brush the bloody water towards the drain. The outline of the puddle had already seeped into the floor, my blood. My pain. My mark in the Red Room…._

I woke with a start, and looked around the room hurriedly. My heart was beating a mile a minute as I breathed a sigh of relief. It's over now…I repeat in my head as I wait for my heart to slow. This happens often now, my dreams tend to re-enact my harsher punishments, you know, in case I forget. So far in the short time I have been here I have had 46 punishments , 32 of which were unintentional…

Jacob entered the room as I was rubbing my eyes. "Bored already? I haven't even begun yet" he said jokingly. I looked at him with a smile. Jacob is so lovely, I can't see why he works here… My smile fades however when I see he is sweating slightly. He looks anxious… "Are you ok Jacob?" I ask quietly. He just smiles brighter. "Of course. Now. Lets begin…"

_Jacob didn't like lying to Terri. She was the only one he actually enjoyed the company of in this place. But this is for her. She deserved better than this. He just hoped he came back alive after his meeting…._


	11. Chapter 11

_Jacob was strolling the New York streets after procuring the equipment he 'needed' for his bosses experiment. This was only a rouse to get him permission to leave the base. So far he was loyal so they saw no need to send guards with him. For this he was thankful. _

_He arrived at the agreed café in a functional part of the city with a few minutes to spare. However as he entered he saw he in all her glory. Sitting daintily, hands folded in her lap, staring directly at him. He had heard of her, of how she excelled in the organisation before escaping, the last of the early Red Rooms. He was the only one he could think of to meet, she was well linked with those he'd need the help of. _

_He walked over the table confidently. He knew this would go two ways. One he would gain her help unconditionally or he would die promptly after leaving. He knew what to say to make her believe him. He thought of how to begin as he sat at the table._

"_What is your business with me? Who do you work for?" She said. Eyes in slits and her red hair bouncing as she tilted her head back away from him. He gulped and took a deep breath._

"_You won't like it. But you need to hear me out. I need your help taking something down and I think you have a personal interest..." the red head cut him off. Quietly she repeated "Who. Do. You. Work. For?"_

"_Project Latrodectus…" Her blank stare told him he needed to say the three words that could possibly lead her to take his life. _

"_The Red Rooms…"_

I walked into the combat room, or Red Room, whichever, thinking it would just be me and Chase for my first session, that wasn't the case. I walked in more hesitantly than before, looking at the various different girls in the room. They all looked fairly similar in build, tall, hard and slender. I looked down at my relatively short form and curves. It hit my ego hard standing nearly these beautiful women. Some of their eyes showed nothing, they were cold, shallow, devoid of any and all emotion. Others eyes emitted fear and sadness, but they tried to stand strong. There were 21 women here in total, including me. I walked further into the room and noticed something that crushed my heart; a young teenager and young girl were standing close to each other in the corner, tears streaming down there face. They weren't related, the teen was Black whereas the girl was Hispanic. They held hands, so tightly I could see their knuckles turning white and their fingers red. I felt like crying myself. I stood near them and their eyes followed me in horror. They must think I am going to harm them. I smile softly to them, trying to convey without words I am no threat. The teen tensed as I went to walk behind them and I saw the childs lower lip tremble. I hushed their silent sobs gently, cooing out gentle words to try and calm them as I placed my hands on their heads. Both tensed but I began to hum and stroke their hair in attempt to calm them. They are far too young to be here. A voice in my head laughed bitterly…Weren't we all?

I continued to stroke their knotted hair as I hummed the familiar tune softly, a song I once sang to calm by sister when she had bad dreams. As we were waiting for chase to arrive I felt them relax under my touch. Once Chase arrived I ceased my humming and moved my hands to their shoulders, rubbing gentle circles with my thumbs, keeping the contact. These poor girls… I looked down at both their shivering forms and I vowed then that they would return home with me. They deserve a life, a normal life.

I would protect them as I did Lilly…

I took their hands as Chase prepared himself at the back of the room and pulled them back behind me, hoping the 'out of sight, out of mind' theory could apply. As Chase began to speak they held my hands tighter.

"I suppose you are wondering why you are not in your single sessions? Why everyone is gathered in this room. In all honesty there is no reason other than I do not feel like fighting myself today and who better to take my place than those who have had the same training." I haven't had any training yet?! I thought in a panic as he finished. The girls behind be began to tremble more violently, I forced my anxieties aside and squeezed their hand gently. I'll just have to examine how the others fight.

Chase motioned for two women to step forward and step to the centre of the room. I watched as one stood on my stain. My print in this room, then I looked at her, pushing the ugly thoughts away. Her stare was cold and the other woman returned it in equal fervour. The lady standing on my stain was very tall but very slim, her choclately skin stretched over her muscles so tightly I thought if she bent it would rip. Her shaved head suited her beautiful face and added to her imposing physic. I looked at the other women around the room and they all looked to be the same… It didn't look…Healthy, no not at all. This pretty African-American lady had a good few inches on her opponent who had pale creamy skin and wild red hair. Chase signalled for the fight to begin and I tried to drown out the noises of skin slapping skin and bones cracking, I examined their routines until the tall lady had won and the next fight began. I watched as the victor dragged each body they had overcome away from the fighting area, some I feared would not wake up. My fears turned out to be reality as some guards entered and dragged 4 of the girls away carelessly by a single limb, a trail of blood following them out the door. As the fights wore on I began feel the girl wet faces press against my sides, this must be so traumatic for them. I smiled slightly at how the frightened girls trusted me. I wonder how long they have been here?

I didn't notice was my name was called, stuck in my own thoughts until I felt the air around me change slightly. Instinctively I moved the girls to the left and reached out to grab something in the air before it hit me. I looked at my hand in shock as I caught the brick that had been aimed for, presumably, my face then to the wall were a dagger was embedded, my own skin felt foreign to me as it skin began to crawl and boil at the realisation that it was for the teenager at her side.

I threw the brick to the ground and pushed the girls further behind me as I looked Chase in the eyes.

"Oh. So you're paying attention now? Terri to the centre." My feet moved on their own accord, rage still causing me to see red. My eyes never left his. "Kerishai! Yu! Centre!" he barked. I looked around the room and saw that the two girls began to trudge forward. Sobs escaping their lips.

I turned to Chase. Face completely blank and said a single word. "No" His eyes widened at my defiance before smiling. "Your right. They only came today. I should go easy on them. You will fight someone else first." The girls stayed at the side of the room as three of the women who had battled before stepped to the centre circle. "You'll be much easier once these are through". I turned my nose up in disgust at him. I will die before I harm a child so maliciously…

I wasn't aware that the fight had begun before my hair was yanked so hard I fell onto my back, my head cracking against the stone floor. I felt the air get warmer to my left so I rolled backward to escape the attack, which turned out to be a vicious punch which collided with the concrete, eliciting a scream to escape the attacker's lips as she grasped her hand. I shifted onto my right knee and kicked the wailing woman hard on her cheek, sending her to the floor. I quickly jumped up only for my nose to meet someone's elbow. My head snapped back and I gripped my bleeding nose before feeling a sharp punch to my stomach causing me to double over, a swift kick to the side of my rib cage sent me toppling over. I cried out in pain as I felt my ribs crack at the force of the kick and opened my eyes to see the children's horrified expressions. I felt the three girls punches and kicks, felt my tissue bruising, heard the cracking sounds emitting from unknown places in my body. I kept my eyes on them, noticed how the brutal women in the room had congregated around them. If I couldn't get up, what would Chase get the others to do to them? Scenarios flashes threw my mind like lightning, each one making the anger swell within me, dulling any pain that was being inflicted.

I brought my knees to my chest, making me seem more vulnerable. As I expected, one of the girls walked from my side, slowly as the others hit me. As she crossed my legs path I shot my legs out as fast and hard as possible, aiming for her shin. The scream was piecing, but I had no time for that, the others had paused at the noise and I needed to get up. I pushed my aching body up and backed away from the two women before me. They stood side by side, one looking at me smugly, like they had already won the fight whilst the other looked at me more fearfully. The hesitant one, to my surprise, was the one who lunged at me first. She was incredibly fast but I moved so she only managed to hit my shoulder. I felt the air cool slightly and I looked to see her draw her fist back for a more powerful blow. I threw my body into a backflip, my foot catching her hard on her jaw causing her to fly backwards. I landed on my hands and pushed myself up to bounce into a standing position. The second I was upright the smug one charged at me with a ferocious look in her eyes. Her hits were powerful the blows she landed nearly knocked the wind out of me and the ones I blocked successfully left a painful sensation along my arms, like someone was beating my bones with a mallet.

By this point I was pissed.

I was tired, my head throbbed with every move I made and my skin felt like it was on fire. My opponent was tiring too, her moves not as fast as before. She gave a good fight, very damn good. But I was done.

I grabbed her wrists and yanked them in opposite directions, freeing her body. Without giving her time to react I pulled my head-butted her with most of the power I had left in me. Pain shot through my skull and I let go of her wrists to grab my forehead. She dropped to the floor, unconscious and I placed pressure on the piercing ache in my head. Hand still on my face I looked down at my opponents and winced. The girl who hit the floors wrist looked three times the size of her body, the owner of the leg I kicked when on the floor had her shin bone poking out the back of her calf…That's disgusting…and the girl I hit in the head had a Tom and Jerry style lump forming on her head, similar to the lump I felt forming on my own. I looked at Chase, keeping my eyes void of anything. "I won"

"Yes. It was impressive. Now to fight the new ones. Kerisha. Yu. Come!" He shouted.

"I will NOT fight children! That is disgusting and barbaric!" I half yelled at him. His angry eyes now turned into more dangerous slits. "Hold Her" was all he said and I felt four of the women grab my arms and legs. "Fine you will just watch." He said as he roughly dragged the two girls to the centre chaining their ankles to the ground. No… No, NO, NO, NO, NO!

I struggled hard against the girls, managing to move a little. Kerisha and Yu were openly cry now, their faces red and desperate sobs were passing their lips "LEAVE THEM ALONE YOU PATHETIC PIECE OF SHIT!" I screamed "THEY ARE ONLY CHILDREN!" I looked around the room, hoping any of them would stop this madness. Most of them just sneered. This can't happen! I said I was going to protect them!

SMACK!

I paused my struggling to hear little Yu cry out in pain. I looked at the left side of her face to see it already swelling badly, bleeding too from the ring on his finger. The bastard his a child! My body felt like it was on fire. I didn't even notice the women that were meant to be restraining me crawling to the corner.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" I screamed at Chase as he raised his hand to Kerisha. I ran, faster than ever before and rugby tackled him to the ground…hard. He yelped in pain and threw me away from him. I graceful caught my balance with my hand and skidded to a halt. I stood. I felt powerful. I looked over to the women now standing at the back off the room in fear. I wasn't sure what they feared but I was glad they did. They deserved to be as scared as those children.

I heard a whimper and turned to see Chase returning to the girl, fists clenched. I reached my hands out towards them as he threw a punch at Kerishas face. The young girl flinched but no impact came. Chases hand bounced off a shield surrounding the girls. Everyone in the room paused to look at it.

It was glorious.

It had the same marble effect as oil in a puddle. The colours swirls and moved against each over in an intricate dance to protect the girls inside. They colours were familiar though. They reminded me of my new eye pigments.

_Was that you? _I heard a small voice ask. I turned towards the girls to see Yu looking at me. I stared at my hands in shock. It couldn't have been…surely not… was it? I looked at my hands again to see them glowing once more and I . A shield placed itself around me too and I looked up to see Chase charging at me, murder in his eyes. He stopped abruptly when he saw the shield.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? He bellowed. I ignored him and looked at the girls now smiling at me thankfully. I smiled back; I wish I could get them home. At that an array off images past through my head, two distinguishing tastes to them. Memories. The girls memories! They knew each other! They live in a flat block in Detroit on the same floor. I closed my eyes, needing a distraction from all this new information and pictured their floor wondering when they would be able to return. Suddenly, behind my closed eyelids, I saw them both on their floor. I smiled at the thought. Behind my eyelids they were looking around in shock and fright before embracing each other tightly and running to their doors. That's how it should be. The image faded and I felt a strange sensation. I felt completely drained but also the tastes were gone. I opened my eyes and saw the girls were gone as the shield began to slowly fade. What the fuck just happened? Was my last thought before everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the new follows and inboxes I've received! They really encourage me to update more frequently so again thanks :)**

**I was thinking of doing a fanfic for each avenger with an OC, obviously when this is done or I get a bit of writers block but which character would you prefer?**

**References: /2011/12/10/ancient-weapons/**

**Disclaimer: I don't often put these in as I clearly don't own the Avengers anyway. Own plot and OCs and that all.**

**Feedback is always welcomed.**

_1 year 8 months later…._

_Jacob was staring at the screens in his boss's office, watching the graceful dance Terri performed when she wielded her Chakram, her favoured weapon alongside her hook swords. Ever since that day over a year ago when she made those children vanish she has not left the red room. He flinched when he thought of the tortures she endured as they tried to make her do whatever it was she did again, each torture fruitless. Not once has she been able to repeat her actions but the tape of when she slept showed evidence of the powers she contained, her fingertips would glow and the lilac light would travel up her arms before it dimmed and faded. She had completed all her programmes other than her combat and sexual training, combat would never really be over but the boss had not started her sensual training yet, much to Gary's annoyance. He was far more interested in her hands and making those powers come to light again. He stood there, by Jacob's side watching her as she expertly twirled the Chakram on her index finger before throwing it powerfully with a simple flick of her wrist, beheading the dummy on the other side of the room._

_He had been watching her for months and he had seen her become more submissive after each beating she received. He had one more test to see if she was his, he was confident she would. He was impressed with how fast she progressed in his programme, even with its changes she was about 9 months ahead of schedule, she would be the Red Rooms greatest creation… the one he could use to expand this once dangerous organisation and raise it from its ashes to an all new glory. He had a feeling of how to bring her powers to light and that was why Jacob was here._

_Jacob knew what he had been summoned for was important, he had never been summoned alone. He was terrified his boss had learnt of his meeting at first but he calmed when he realised it was well over a year ago and nothing had occurred since. He was curious and scared at the same time, the silence making his nerves grow each minute. He decided to speak up after he saw Terri pick up her hook swords. She always looked so foreign and lethal with them, he didn't like the sight of the quirky Terri he knew holding them in such a deadly way. _

"_Is there a something you need sir?" Jacob asked, face still away from the screen. His boss didn't answer straight away, instead admiring the way Terri handled her out of date weapons. The suited her well, The Chinese hook sword were beautifully designed and incredibly unique , the blades were curved into a hook shape at the end which allowed the user to connect the blades by the tip and wield them as a single, long-ranged weapon. The crescent shaped guards were excellent at blocking blows as well as slashing enemies who got too close. The ends of the hilts were sharpened into daggers for stabbing at close range. It was simple yet mysterious, elegant but powerful, strong and lethal, it was her. He watched her dodge and advance upon the moving target about the room with cat like reflexes; he never understood how she managed to leave it until last minute before she moved…_

"_I need you to prepare the serum and the chamber." He stated to Jacob, eyes still on the screen. Jacobs eyes widened in surprise. It was too early! This wasn't the plan!_

"_But sir! We don't know if she's ready or was her ability may do or if she's even loyal…" He was clutching at straws but his boss cut him off._

"_We are about to go test her loyalty Jacob. I am not worried about that. As for her abilities, well that's why I want to do it today."_

"_I don't understand sir" Jacob said lamely._

"_If a diluted version of the serum unleashed this ability in her then why wont a more powerful versin? Surely it will unleash it fully would it not?" The man said turning to face Jacob. Jacob couldn't really argue his reasoning. "I suppose. Either that or kill her." Jacob said. "What about Gary's training, do you want her stronger before that?" _

"_He can begin directly after the experiment. She will be weaker then, this is different from the Captains serum. If she is loyal there will be no problem. She will be grateful for the training. Now enough of this, I have made my decision, go prepare it." He said, looking coldly into Jacobs eyes._

"_Yes sir. I'll call down now, it should be ready in about 15 minutes." Jacob said, defeated whilst retrieving his phone._

"_Good. I need a word with Chase." His boss stated simply as he left the room._

_Jacob waited until the coast was clear before dialling the number on his mobile. He waited anxiously for an answer as it rang._

"_Romanov." A feminine voice stated through the phone._

"_It's happening! I need you now." Jacob said in a low voice._

"_Affirmative. On our way." She said before promptly hanging up. _

_He hoped they got here quick._

I dove to the floor as a final arrow shoot towards me. I don't know if it's an extra sense from the serum but now I always seem to know when something is approaching me, sometimes a little to late but I feel the air change around me, I've come to rely on this intuition a lot more than I probably should have during my training. I was sweating and breathing heavily but that's what you get when you work out for 5 hours straight. I placed my weapons back in there boxes and went to the corner of the red room, which was now permanently my room. I miss Jacob, I should have failed his test, he was always nice to me. I haven't spoken to anyone other than Chase who just yells at me, or the guards who I thank for food that never reply, they weren't my original guards, these were spiteful people who knew I couldn't hit them back…I've stopped rebelling now. I am compliant to every order and instruction. I don't answer back and I keep my face void of everything, especially pain. I have learnt with Chase that if he knows a particular place hurts, even if it's a place he's previously injured, he will aim for it repeatedly. I have become a walking mask.

In all honesty, I know I said that I would let them think I'm broken but that's actually how I feel. I feel crushed, lonely, each second of every day I want to cry but know I can't show that weakness. I go to sleep at night and always hold on to the image of Lilly smiling and my family safe, sometimes it feels so real I can feel the air of the ocean on my body, but just as quick as the images come in my sleep they disappear. Even my dreams want me to be sad. Hopefully I will get a mission in the next few months and start my scheme for escape. I looked at the clock, 4:34 pm…strange. Usually I would have been fed at least twice by now. I skipped dinner last night as I felt sick and my body felt funny, tingly. I quickly showered and redressed into a new set of workout clothes, knowing in a few hours I'll get so bored ill train again.

Despite my vigorous training I haven't lost much weight. My muscles are more toned but my curves are still very much here, I guessed they wanted me to keep my figure and fed me accordingly. Like a human china doll. I sat in my chair in the centre of the room after retrieving my Chakram. I always practice my handling on this weapon as it's so sharp; I injured myself many times with it before I got a hold of the handling. I spun it along my wrist and hand, watching the patterns in the metal swirl into nothing. I chose this weapon when I remembered the project I submitted in my 16th History class on ancient weapons. I found the Indian weapon fascinating as well as beautiful, I felt like Xena when I handled it, I felt powerful and in control. The Hook sword was also in my project and I found it here gathering dust too. The hook sword was a civilian weapon on China, not used by the authorities. It was rebellious and protective so I wanted that also. They both reminded me of home so I knew I had to practice with them. Apparently none of the women here liked to use any of the weapons unless they were guns or throwing knifes. I hated guns. They were a last resort weapon to me. I still and to practice on them of course but I didn't like it.

These weapons however helps me a lot with my aim so although I do not like gun, I am confident I am a sharp shoot. I heard footsteps outside the door before a guard walked in with his gun aimed at me, like he'd have the time… I shook the thought away, disgusted with myself as I placed my Chakram delicately on my lap. Dark thoughts like that seem to occur more than I want. They are calculated and cold, not myself at all, this is how I know they really are beginning to break me…

Boss man walked in after him and I kept my face a mask as I stood and bowed my head.

"Well hello Terri! How are you today?" He said politely, smug smile on his lips. I looked towards him blankly and replied with a simple 'Yes, sir' before he began to make idle chat. I remain where I was as he walked to the far wall of the room, saying how proud he was with my accomplishments. Why is he walking over there? What's he up too?... I held back the urge to narrow my eyes at the man. He is up to something. That's when I heard the scream.

It wasn't a normal scream, it was like a crazy banshee, manic, high pitched and insane, toutured even… I looked at the boss man from the corner of my eye and saw his smile before he put on a shocked act. I see…

I knew what this was. It was test. Since boss man is here it's not a test of fighting ability since he watches that on screens so I've heard, not a test of agility mentally or physically or he wouldn't of placed himself in the corner of the room away from the door, he'd want to make a dramatic exit so he'd remain close to the door for that. The deductions ran through my head as the screaming became louder. It's a loyalty test. I'd have to kill this girl.

I said a prayer for the woman in my mind as she approached the door. I heard grunts and slams against the wall, her taking out the guards I presume. I walked backwards a few steps and aligned myself so I was in front of him in a protective stance. A woman I've never met before barged into the room, a frantic crazed look in her eyes. What have they done to her? As I watched her beat the guards that had walked into the room with boss man I wondered if I would be doing her a favour? What pain was she in? She turned and begun to run toward me, eyes on the man behind my body. I mouthed 'I'm sorry' to her before throwing my Chakram at her. My aim was on target as I watched her head part from her shoulders. I forced my mind to go blank to protect itself. I would put this in the chest at the back of my mind; I can't afford to cry about this. I'd have to kill others before my escape anyway.

The groaning of the surviving guards trying to get up filled the room as I walked to pick up my weapon. I wiped the weapon on my old t-shirt before walking up to boss man. "Are you ok sir?" I asked, false concern filling my voice and features. He smiled calmly at me and replied. "I am perfectly fine. Come with me." I put my weapon away before stepping over the guards and walking out the room behind him.


End file.
